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Ultrasonography: not useful in detecting susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia.
Author(s) -
Antognini J F,
Anderson M,
Cronan M,
McGahan J P,
Gronert G A
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.7863/jum.1994.13.5.371
Subject(s) - medicine , echogenicity , ultrasonography , malignant hyperthermia , contracture , radiology , biopsy , complication , thigh , halothane , surgery , pathology , anesthesia
MH is a rare, potentially fatal complication of general anesthesia. Halothane‐caffeine contracture testing of a muscle biopsy is the only accepted diagnostic test for MH. A previous report indicated that ultrasonography may aid in diagnosis of MH. Using sonographic examination of the thigh and calf, we evaluated eight patients with proved susceptibility to MH and eight control patients. Two radiologists independently evaluated the sonograms for echogenicity and definition of fascial planes. We detected no consistent and reliable differences between control and MH patients. We conclude that, in our hands, ultrasonography is not useful in differentiating patients with MH from normal persons.