BOF 3
A 60 year old male who has been smoking 20 cigarettes a day
for the last 40 years, presents with fatiguable weakness of the proximal limb
muscles and trunk. There is no ptosis. He complains of a dry mouth, he has
problems with micturition and he has erectile failure.
In this patient the tendon reflexes would be:
a)
Absent and cannot be reinforced by brief maintained isometric contraction
b)
Absent but may be reinforced by brief maintained isometric contraction
c)
Exaggerated
d)
Normal
e)
Pendular
Answer:
b)
The clinical features suggest the patient has Eaton-Lambert
syndrome. In this condition the tendon reflexes are usually absent but can be
reinforced by brief sustained isometric contraction. This is called post-tetanic
potentiation and is an useful sign in making the diagnosis.
Last Updated 19/02/06
