title: Single fiber EMG as a prognostic tool in myasthenia gravis.
abstract: Single fiber electromyography (SFEMG) is the most sensitive diagnostic tool for diagnosis of myasthenia gravis (MG). Its prognostic value is not known.
  
  
  
  We retrospectively analyzed the clinical course of 232 MG patients who presented with only mild symptoms and had SFEMG of the orbicularis oculi muscle. We correlated their SFEMG results with the severity of their later clinical course.
  
  
  
  During the observation period 39 patients (17%) developed severe disease exacerbations, and 193 (83%) remained stable. Patients with severe disease exacerbation had a significantly higher mean jitter value (P < 0.0001), a greater percentage of fibers with increased jitter (P < 0.0001), and/or impulse blocking (P < 0.0001) on SFEMG.
  
  
  
  The extent of the SFEMG abnormalities in this study correlated with the later clinical course of MG. Muscle Nerve 54: 1034-1040, 2016.
authors.affiliation: University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Department of Neurology, Zaloška cesta 2,1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Mateja
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5895-3136
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baruca
authors.affiliation: University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Institute of Clinical Neurophysiology, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leonardis
authors.affiliation: University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Institute of Clinical Neurophysiology, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Podnar
authors.affiliation: University Medical Centre Maribor, Department of Neurology, Maribor.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hojs-Fabjan
authors.affiliation: General Hospital of Isola, Isola, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grad
authors.affiliation: University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Clinical institute of Clinical Chemistry and biochemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Aleš
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jerin
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Rok
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blagus
authors.affiliation: University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Department of Neurology, Zaloška cesta 2,1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Saša
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Šega-Jazbec
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D004576:Electromyography; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic
keywords: jitter; myasthenia gravis; orbicularis oculi muscle; outcome; prognosis; single fiber electromyography