Monofocal motor neuropathy: Improvement with intravenous immunoglobulin

• Published in: Muscle & nerve 2002-05, Vol.25 (5), p.674-678
• Main Authors: Felice, Kevin J., Goldstein, Jonathan M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Action Potentials; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy; conduction block; Cranial nerves. Spinal roots. Peripheral nerves. Autonomic nervous system. Gustation. Olfaction; Electrophysiology; Female; Foot; Hand; Humans; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; inflammatory neuropathy; Male; Medical sciences; mononeuropathy; Motor Neuron Disease - complications; Motor Neuron Disease - drug therapy; Motor Neuron Disease - physiopathology; Motor Neurons - physiology; multifocal motor neuropathy; Muscle Weakness - etiology; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neural Conduction; Neurology; Reaction Time; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0148-639X; 1097-4598
• DOI: 10.1002/mus.10088

Multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) is a chronic, immune‐mediate, peripheral myelinopathy. Inherent in its name, MMN implies involvement of two or more motor nerves. We report three patients with weakness and partial motor conduction block restricted to a single nerve and localized to sites that are not at risk for entrapment or compression injury. None of the patients had sensory involvement and all showed a favorable response to intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Based on these observations and reports of three additional patients, we believe that monofocal motor neuropathy is a partial form of MMN and should be treated as such. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Muscle Nerve 25: 000–000, 2002