Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy is a rare form of muscular dystrophy associated with cardiac implications such as cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias leading to sudden death. We describe the anesthetic management of a patient with Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy who presented for orthopaedic surgery and discuss the disorder and its potential anaesthetic implications.

We present a family in which the differential diagnosis between X linked Duchenne muscular dystrophy and autosomal recessive Duchenne-like muscular dystrophy was resolved in favour of the latter by analysis of dystrophin, which is the protein product of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy locus.

Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy (FCMD) is the most common congenital muscular dystrophy in Japan and there are isolated reports of non-Japanese patients with FCMD. We report an Indian patient with congenital muscular dystrophy and characteristic radiological findings similar to those with FCMD.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy mouse models have a predictable and reproducible time course of cardiomyopathy progression with discrete pathogenic steps, which closely parallel what we know occurs in the cardiomyopathy of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The slow progression of early pathogenic steps common to many cardiomyopathies may make Duchenne muscular dystrophy models useful for i...

Dubowics V. Muscle biopsy: a practical approach. 2nd ed. London: Bailliere Tindall, 1985:340-343 Consalez GG, Thomas NST, Stayton CL, et al. Assignment of Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy to the distal region of Xq28: the results of a collaborative study. Am J Hum Genet 199 1 ;48:468 -480 Yates JRW, Warner JP, Smith JA, et al. Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy: linkage to markers in distal Xq2...

BACKGROUND In muscular dystrophy, cardiac function deteriorates with time and heart failure is one of the major causes of death. Although the combination of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and beta-blockers improves cardiac function in adults, little is known about the efficacy of those drugs in patients with muscular dystrophy. METHODS AND RESULTS The effect of the beta-block...

Muscular dystrophy is a group of inherited myopathies characterised by progressive skeletal muscle wasting, including of the respiratory muscles. Respiratory failure, i.e. when the respiratory system fails in its gas exchange functions, is a common feature in muscular dystrophy, being the main cause of death, and it is a consequence of lung failure, pump failure or a combination of the two. The...

The muscular dystrophies comprise a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders that produce progressive skeletal muscle weakness and wasting. There has been rapid growth and change in our understanding of these disorders in recent years, and advances in basic science are being translated into increasing numbers of clinical trials. This review will discuss therapeutic developments in 3 of the most...

Skeletal muscle is highly sensitive to mutations in genes that participate in membrane stability and cellular attachment, which often leads to muscular dystrophy. Here we show that Thrombospondin-4 (Thbs4) regulates skeletal muscle integrity and its susceptibility to muscular dystrophy through organization of membrane attachment complexes. Loss of the Thbs4 gene causes spontaneous dystrophic ch...

BACKGROUND Studies with nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents showed a delayed onset and prolonged recovery in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The objective of this study was to investigate if these alterations depend on disease progression. METHODS The authors studied 11 children (6-9 yr) with moderate Duchenne muscular dystrophy, 11 adolescents (12-16 yr) with advanced Du...