What is the short-term diagnostic treatment for MG?

What is the short-term diagnostic treatment for MG?

• A. Tensilon
• B. Atropine
• C. Epinephrine
• D. Prednisone

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that a brief, reversible improvement in muscle strength after a short-acting acetylcholinesterase inhibitor confirms myasthenia gravis. Tensilon (edrophonium) temporarily blocks acetylcholinesterase, so acetylcholine builds up at the neuromuscular junction and improves weakness for only a few minutes. This rapid, transient boost helps verify MG rather than treat it long-term. By contrast, atropine is an antidote and is used to manage muscarinic side effects or cholinergic crisis, not to diagnose MG; prednisone is a long-term immunosuppressant for ongoing management, not for diagnostic testing; epinephrine isn’t used for MG diagnosis.

The key idea is that a brief, reversible improvement in muscle strength after a short-acting acetylcholinesterase inhibitor confirms myasthenia gravis. Tensilon (edrophonium) temporarily blocks acetylcholinesterase, so acetylcholine builds up at the neuromuscular junction and improves weakness for only a few minutes. This rapid, transient boost helps verify MG rather than treat it long-term. By contrast, atropine is an antidote and is used to manage muscarinic side effects or cholinergic crisis, not to diagnose MG; prednisone is a long-term immunosuppressant for ongoing management, not for diagnostic testing; epinephrine isn’t used for MG diagnosis.