Diphenylhydantoin and neuromuscular junction. A single fibre electromyography study.

Diphenylhydantoin and neuromuscular junction. A single fibre electromyography study.

I. Milonas C. Karoutas D. Kountouris and J. Logothetis (Thessaloniki Greece)

Jitter values were measured in 20 epileptic patients receiving 300mg diphenylhydantoin (DPH) daily for a period longer than two years and in a patient who presented with myasthenia during the treatment of her epileptic fits with DPH.

Single fibre electromyography showed in the last patient typical findings of myasthenia gravis (increased jitter and blocking).

In 12 of the other 20 patients jitter was slightly influenced. Jitter values were within or slightly above the normal limits and in 6-9 of the recorded potentials jitter values were bigger than 55msec.

No one of the above patients had any clinical or electrophysiological signs of peripheral neuropathy.

The above findings support the view that DPH has an action on the neuromuscular junction and can cause a disorder in its function.

Abstract published in Journal of Electroenephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1981;52(3)

Paper presented at the Xth International Congress of Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology Kyoto, Japan, September, 13-18, 1981