title: Monitoring the short-term effect of intravenous immunoglobulins in multifocal motor neuropathy using motor unit number index.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether motor unit number index (MUNIX) is pertinent to monitor the effect of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) in multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN).
  
  
  METHODS
  MUNIX was assessed longitudinally in 7 MMN patients and 17 healthy controls in the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and abductor digiti minimi (ADM) muscles. A MUNIX sum-score and a compound muscle action potential (CMAP) sum-score were calculated by summing up the scores of APB and ADM. MMN patients were evaluated on the first day of IVIg infusion, 5 MMN patients were evaluated 22days after IVIg infusion, and 3 MMN patients were evaluated 1month after two IVIg infusions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intraclass correlation coefficient of the MUNIX sum-score in healthy controls was 0.85, showing good test-retest reproducibility. MUNIX and CMAP sum-scores were lower in MMN patients than in healthy controls (p<0.01 and 0.02, respectively). MUNIX sum-score improved in three of the five patients 22days after IVIg infusion and in two of the three patients 1month after 2 IVIg infusions, whereas CMAP sum-score improved in only one patient in both evaluations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this preliminary study, MUNIX seems to be a reliable and sensitive tool to monitor the short-term efficiency of IVIg in MMN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MUNIX can help monitor IVIg treatment in MMN.
authors.affiliation: Neuromuscular Disease and ALS Reference Center, Timone University Hospital, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Manon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Philibert
authors.affiliation: Neuromuscular Disease and ALS Reference Center, Timone University Hospital, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Aude-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Grapperon
authors.affiliation: Neuromuscular Disease and ALS Reference Center, Timone University Hospital, Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille University, UMR 7286, Faculty of Medicine, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Emilien
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Delmont
authors.affiliation: Neuromuscular Disease and ALS Reference Center, Timone University Hospital, Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille University, UMR 7286, Faculty of Medicine, Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille University - Inserm UMR 910 Medical Genetics and Functional Genomics, Marseille, France. Electronic address: sattarian@ap-hm.fr.
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Attarian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011999:Recruitment, Neurophysiological / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous
keywords: Dysimmune neuropathy; Intravenous immunoglobulins; Motor unit number index; Multifocal motor neuropathy