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Relaxation time of the adductor pollicis muscle in Duchenne muscular dystrophy carriers

A new method for detecting carriers

Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Groningen, The Netherlands.

The half relaxation time (TR) of adductor pollicis muscle contraction after supramaximal ulnar nerve stimulation was measured in normal women and carriers of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The TR after a single stimulus did not differ in these two groups. The decrease of TR after 2-per-second stimulations, however, was significantly greater in the carriers. The percentage of the TR decrease after 2-per-second stimulations in all of the carriers was below the mean -2 SD value for the controls. These findings suggest that determination of the decrease of the TR of the adductor pollicis muscle with 2-per-second stimulations of the ulnar nerve may be a reliable method for detecting Duchenne muscular dystrophy carriers.

Requests for reprints should be addressed to Dr. van Weerden, Department of Neurology, University Hospital. Oostersingel 59, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Accepted for publication June 8, 1978.