Two patients with severe generalised myasthenia gravis of childhood were successfully treated with immunoadsorption plasmapheresis. One patient was a 5 year old girl and the other was a 12 year old girl. A dramatic improvement in bulbar symptoms and generalised muscle weakness was achieved without any side effects. Plasma exchange may also yield clinical improvement for myasthenia gravis, but the treatment is accompanied by the risk of viral infections and hypersensitivity reactions. Immunoadsorption plasmapheresis is an effective treatment for severe generalised myasthenia gravis of childhood and is superior to plasma exchange with respect to safety.
A course of daily plasma-exchange was undertaken in 3 patients with severe myasthenia gravis (M.G.) who had failed to respond to anticholinesterases, thymectomy, and steroids. In the 2 cases with acquired M.G., exchange was associated with an unequivocal improvement in muscle weakness and fatiguability, indicating that a humoral factor in plasma is directly concerned in causing the disorder of neuromuscular transmission. The improvement began within a few days of initiating exchange and continued for several days after exchange ceased. Preliminary evidence suggests that the beneficial effect can be maintained with subsequent immunosuppressive therapy. The patient with congenital M.G. failed to improve, suggesting that its pathogenesis may differ from that of the acquired disease.
A study was performed to investigate the effects of geometry on impulse transfer to V-plates subjected to localised air-blast loading. The V-plates were designed to be 1:8 scale compared to the ful...