Neuromuscular Disorders
摘要
This chapter covers a broad range of neuromuscular anatomy, physiology, and pathology. All aspects of the peripheral nervous system are addressed, from the anterior horn cell and dorsal root ganglion through the spinal nerve, plexus, peripheral nerve, neuromuscular junction, and muscle, not to forget the small fibers and autonomic nervous system. This field includes some of the most common and bread-and-butter conditions seen in Neurology clinics, such as diabetic polyneuropathy, as well as the rarest and most interesting, such as periodic paralysis and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome. Thorough physical examination is key, with assistance from electrodiagnostic testing and occasionally nerve/muscle biopsy, though biomarkers and genetic testing have decreased reliance on invasive testing.