A study of sensitivity to curare in myasthenic disorders using a regionaltechnique

A study of curare sensitivity has been made in ocular myasthenia, myasthenia gravis, and the myasthenic syndrome sometimes associated with carcinoma, using a regional technique. Sensitivity is greater than in normal subjects. The injection of 0-125 mg d-tubocurarine resulted in a neuromuscular transmission block in all but a few of those cases with ocular myasthenia and in all cases of generalized myasthenia. Furthermore, the block persisted for longer than in normal subjects after the release of the tourniquet. This sensitivity to curare was not directly related to myasthenic weakness. The reasons for this are discussed and an explanation for such curare sensitivity is suggested.