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Semin Neurol 2021; 41(05): 493-510
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1733794
Review Article

Inpatient Diagnosis and Management of Neuromuscular Disorders

Leana Doherty
1   Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
,
Vinay Chaudhry
2   Department of Neurology, Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine Chapel Hill, North Carolina
› Author Affiliations Funding No financial support or recognition of personal assistance was received for the work being published.
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Abstract

Although many neuromuscular conditions are evaluated on an outpatient basis owing to their chronic or progressive nature, more urgent evaluation and management is often required for the inpatient presenting with acute to subacute focal or generalized numbness or weakness. This review focuses on clinical pattern recognition and basic anatomic localization principles to aid in the identification of common, as well as some less frequently encountered, neuromuscular disorders in hospitalized patients. The characteristic clinical and diagnostic features, associated complications, and recommended treatments of key neuromuscular conditions with acute and subacute manifestations are discussed. These conditions can be life-threatening in some cases, such as in Guillain–Barré syndrome, owing to associated oropharyngeal weakness, respiratory failure, or marked dysautonomia. Prompt recognition of the clinical and pathologic features is therefore necessary to reduce associated morbidity and mortality.

Keywords

neuromuscular - acute weakness - Guillain–Barré syndrome - myasthenia gravis - inflammatory myopathy


Publication History

Article published online:
07 October 2021

© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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