Semiquantitative measurement of acetylcholine receptor at the motor end-plate in myasthenia gravis.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether this semiquantitative measurement of the motor end-plate acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) can be used to confirm the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis (MG), and in particular ocular MG.


METHODS
Motor point biopsies were performed from the biceps brachii muscles. Measurement of AChRs was made in peroxidase-labeled alpha-bungarotoxin stained muscle specimens.


METHODS
Twenty patients with ocular MG, 37 with generalized MG, 5 with Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, 3 with botulism, 8 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and 8 controls were included in this study.


RESULTS
AChRs were decreased in all patients with generalized MG and in 80% of ocular MG including patients without detectable circulating anti-AChR antibodies, as compared with the control subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
This method is useful to confirm the diagnosis of MG, in particular ocular MG without detectable anti-AChR antibodies.
Tsujihata
M
M
Section of Neurology, Nagasaki Kita Hospital.
Ito
H
H
Satoh
A
A
Yoshimura
T
T
Motomura
M
M
Nakamura
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000378:metabolism; D001132:Arm; D001906:Botulism / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015624:Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009045:Motor Endplate / Q000378:metabolism*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values
D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic