Muscle is electrically inexcitable in acute quadriplegic myopathy.
We directly stimulated muscle in three patients with acute quadriplegic myopathy to determine whether paralyzed muscle in this syndrome is electrically excitable. Two of the patients had been treated with neuromuscular blocking agents and corticosteroids, and one patient had been treated with corticosteroids alone. We found that paralyzed muscle is electrically inexcitable in affected patients. Muscle regained electrical excitability over weeks to months. The recovery of muscle excitability paralleled the clinical recovery of patients, suggesting that paralysis in this syndrome is secondary to electrical inexcitability of muscle membrane.
Rich
M M
MM
Department of Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4283, USA.
Teener
J W
JW
Raps
E C
EC
Schotland
D L
DL
Bird
S J
SJ
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000009:adverse effects; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries; D003714:Denervation; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000293:injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000503:physiopathology; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012016:Reference Values; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents