Walsh & Hoyt: Diagnostic Testing

The tests devised to diagnose MG include clinical tests, assays for circulating antibodies to components of the NMJ, pharmacologic tests, repetitive nerve stimulation, and single-fiber electromyography. Two clinical tests may be helpful in supporting the diagnosis of MG: the sleep test and the ice test. They are particularly useful in elderly or ill patients for whom pharmacologic testing may be considered potentially dangerous. Clinical Tests. Sleep test. Ice test. Specific autoantibody assays. Pharmacologic tests. Edrophonium test. Neostigmine test. Electrophysiologic tests. Repetitive nerve stimulation. Single-fiber electromyography. Additional tests.