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Stimulated jitter analysis for the evaluation of neuromuscular junction disorders in children
Author(s) -
Verma Sumit,
Lin Jenny
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.25012
Subject(s) - congenital myasthenic syndrome , myasthenia gravis , neuromuscular junction , medicine , botulism , anesthesia , repetitive nerve stimulation , pediatrics , psychology , neuroscience , acetylcholine receptor , biology , receptor , genetics
Stimulated jitter analysis (stim‐JA) using a concentric needle electrode is a technique used to study the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) without voluntary activation. Our objective was to study the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and feasibility of stim‐JA in infants and children with suspected NMJ defects. Methods Sixteen infants and young children ages 2 months to 17 years with suspected NMJ disorders were evaluated using stim‐JA over a period of 12 months. Results Subjects with suspected NMJ defects and abnormal stim‐JA subsequently had laboratory confirmation of myasthenia gravis ( n = 5) and infant botulism ( n = 2). Turnaround time for confirmatory laboratory tests was 6.0 ± 4.3 days, whereas stim‐JA results were available immediately. All subjects tolerated stim‐JA well without complications or need for sedation. Conclusions Stim‐JA is a sensitive and safe first‐line diagnostic test for evaluation of suspected pediatric NMJ disorders. Stim‐JA results precede assay results and may guide early treatment. Muscle Nerve 53: 471–472, 2016