The value of the edrophonium tonography in the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis.

Tonography of the eye was performed after administration of 10 mg edrophonium chloride (Tensilon) in 13 patients with clinically diagnosed myasthenia gravis. In ten of these patients repetitive nerve stimulation was used to examine the function of the motor end-plate. A significant pressure rise (more than 2 mm Hg) within the 1st min after edrophonium administration was observed in three patients (four eyes), whereas eight of the ten patients who underwent nerve stimulation showed positive results. The edrophonium tonogram test does not seem to be significant enough to define the diagnosis in early myasthenia gravis. Beyond this, these tests might have lost some of their value due to the introduction of antibody analysis against acetylcholine receptors, which serve as a very sensitive diagnostic tool now.