Trigeminal nerve repetitive stimulation in myasthenia gravis.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS) of the trigeminal nerve in assessing patients with myasthenia gravis (MG). In 26 normal controls and 21 patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), 2-Hz repetitive stimulation of the trigeminal nerve was performed using a monopolar needle for percutaneous nerve stimulation and recording over the surface of the masseter. In the MG patients, repetitive stimulation of the ulnar, spinal accessory, and facial nerves was also performed. The mean percent decrement in the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude among the different nerves at rest were: ulnar, 4.3%; spinal accessory, 10.1%; facial, 14%; and trigeminal, 17.3%. The facial nerve demonstrated abnormal decrement in 57% of all patients, compared with the spinal accessory (48%), trigeminal (43%), and ulnar (20%) nerves. All patients tolerated trigeminal RNS better than or as well as facial RNS. The study demonstrates that trigeminal RNS is a safe, reliable, efficient, and well-tolerated technique that provides another cranial nerve-muscle combination that can be used to supplement repetitive stimulation of other limb or cranial nerves in the evaluation of patients with bulbar or generalized MG.