Citations 6
The Neuromuscular Portal and Match
Laughlin, Ruple S. , Adkins, Shirlyn, Baer, Michael, Dehbashi, Sara , Gable, Karissa , Govindarajan, Raghav , Guidon, Amanda C. , Gwathmey, Kelly , Hehir, Michael K. , Imperioli, Matthew, Price, Raymond S. , Sakamuri, Sarada, Sokol, Jacob, Tiongson, Emmanuelle , Wong, Ericka S., Gwathmey, Kelly G, Tiongson, Noelle, London, Zachary N , London, Zachary
Neurology Education | August 23, 2023 | Volume: 2 | Issue: 3 | Pages: No page available
The neuromuscular fellowship portal and match
London, Zachary , Gable, Karissa , Govindarajan, Ragav, Guidon, Amanda C. , Gwathmey, Kelly , Hehir, Michael K. , Imperioli, Matthew, Laughlin, Ruple S. , Price, Raymond S. , Sakamuri, Sarada, Sokol, Jacob, Baer, Michael, London, Zachary N
Muscle & Nerve | February 25, 2022 | Volume: 65 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 640-645
AbstractFor many years, Neuromuscular Medicine programs lacked a standardized means of handling fellowship applications and offering positions. Programs interviewed applicants and made offers as early as the first half of Post Graduate Year 3 (PGY3), a suboptimal timeline for applicants who may have had little prior exposure to neuromuscular or electrodiagnostic medicine. In 2021, the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) developed the Neuromuscular Fellowship Portal to standardize a later timeline and establish a process for fellowship applications and offers. In its first year, the Neuromuscular Fellowship Portal used a unique one‐way match, in which the portal released serial offers to applicants based on rank order lists submitted by programs. Fifty‐two Neuromuscular Medicine programs and seven electromyography (EMG)‐focused Clinical Neurophysiology programs participated. Sixty‐eight positions were filled, a similar number to previous years. A survey of fellowship directors and applicants following this process showed overwhelming support for the standardized timeline and application portal, but all program directors and most applicants favored moving to a traditional match. To maintain the existing application timeline and minimize costs for all parties, the AANEM Neuromuscular Fellowship Portal will host a two‐way match, based on existing commercial match algorithms, in 2022. A match will afford a fair and efficient process for all involved. Both Neuromuscular Medicine and EMG‐focused Clinical Neurophysiology programs will be encouraged to participate. The process undertaken by the AANEM can stand as an example for other neurologic subspecialties who are interested in standardizing their application timeline.
Thymectomy may not be associated with clinical improvement in MuSK myasthenia gravis
Clifford, Katherine , Hobson‐Webb, Lisa D., Benatar, Michael , Burns, Ted M., Barnett, Carolina , Silvestri, Nicholas J. , Howard, James F. , Visser, Amy , Beekman, Rachel , Kumar, Aditya , Ruzhansky, Katherine , Chen, I-Hweii A. , Pulley, Michael , LaBoy, Shannon, Fellman, Melissa, Howard, Diantha B., Kolb, Noah , Greene, Shane M., Pasnoor, Mamatha , Dimachkie, Mazen M. , Hehir, Michael K. , Kumar, Aditya , Clifford, Katherine M , Crum, Brian A. , Kolb, Noah A , Dimachkie, Mazen M , Barnett-Tapia, Carolina , Nowak, Richard J. , Barohn, Richard J. , Beekman, Rachel B
Muscle & Nerve | December 21, 2018 | Volume: 59 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 404-410
ABSTRACT Introduction : A randomized trial demonstrated benefit from thymectomy in nonthymomatous acetylcholine receptor (AChR)‐antibody positive myasthenia gravis (MG). Uncontrolled observational and histologic studies suggest thymectomy may not be efficacious in anti–muscle‐specific kinase (MuSK)‐MG. Methods : The therapeutic impact of thymectomy was evaluated from data collected for a multicenter, retrospective blinded review of rituximab in MuSK‐MG. Results : Baseline characteristics were similar between thymectomy ( n = 26) and nonthymectomy ( n = 29) groups, including treatment with rituximab (42% vs. 45%). At last visit, 35% of thymectomy subjects reached the primary endpoint, a Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post‐intervention status (PIS) score of minimal manifestations (MM) or better, compared with 55% of controls ( P = 0.17). After controlling for age at onset of MG, rituximab, prednisone, and intravenous immunoglobulin/plasma exchange treatment, thymectomy was not associated with greater likelihood of favorable clinical outcome (odds ratio = 0.43, 95% confidence interval 0.12–1.53, P = 0.19). Discussion : Thymectomy was not associated with additional clinical improvement in this multicenter cohort of MuSK‐MG patients. Muscle Nerve 59:404–410, 2019
Rituximab as treatment for anti-MuSK myasthenia gravis
Hehir, Michael K. , Hobson‐Webb, Lisa D., Benatar, Michael , Silvestri, Nicholas J. , Howard, James F. , Howard, Diantha B., Visser, Amy , Beekman, Rachel , Kumar, Aditya , Ruzhansky, Katherine , Chen, I-Hweii A. , Pulley, Michael , LaBoy, Shannon, Fellman, Melissa, Greene, Shane M., Pasnoor, Mamatha , Burns, Ted M., Kumar, Aditya , Barnett, Carolina , Howard, Diantha, Crum, Brian A. , Nowak, Richard, Chen, I-Hweii Amy, Pulley, Michael T, LaBoy, Shannon M, Fellman, Melissa A, Nowak, Richard J. , Beekman, Rachel B
Neurology | August 11, 2017 | Volume: 89 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 1069-1077
Editorial by concerned physicians: Unintended effect of the orphan drug act on the potential cost of 3,4-diaminopyridine
Burns, Ted M., Smith, Gordon, Allen, Jeffrey A. , Amato, Anthony A. , Arnold, W. David , Barohn, Richard J., Benatar, Michael , Bird, Shawn J. , Bromberg, Mark B. , Chahin, Nizar, Ciafaloni, Emma , Corse, Andrea M. , David, William S., Dimberg, Elliot L., Sousa, De , Donofrio, Peter D., Dyck, P. James B. , Engel, Andrew G. , Ensrud, Erik , Ferrante, Mark A., Freimer, Miriam , Gable, Karissa , Gibson, Summer, Gilchrist, James M. , Goldstein, Jonathan , Gooch, Clifton L. , Goodman, Brent P., Gorelov, Dmitri, Gospe, Sídney M. , Goyal, Namita , Guidon, Amanda C. , Guptill, Jeffrey T. , Gutmann, Laurie , Gutmann, Ludwig , Gwathmey, Kelly , Harati, Yadollah, Harper, C. Michel , Hehir, Michael K. , Hobson‐Webb, Lisa D., Howard, James F. , Jackson, Carlayne E. , Jones, Sarah , Juel, Vern C. , Kaminski, Henry J. , Kennelly, Kathleen D., Khella, Sami, Khoury, Julie, Kincaid, John C., Kissel, John T., Kolb, Noah , Lacomis, David , Larriviere, Daniel G., Lewis, Richard A. , Litchy, William J. , Logigian, Eric L. , Lou, Jau-Shin, MacGowen, Daniel J.L., Maselli, Ricardo A. , Massey, Janice M., Mauermann, Michelle L. , Mathews, Katherine D. , Meriggioli, Matthew N. , Moon, Joon-Shik, Mozaffar, Tahseen , Nations, Sharon , Ostrow, Lyle W. , Pascuzzi, Robert M. , Peltier, Amanda , Ruzhansky, Katherine , Ross, Mark A., Rubin, Devon I., Russell, James A., Sachs, George, Salajegheh, Mohammad, Saperstein, David , Scelsa, Stephen N. , Selcen, Duygu , Shaibani, Aziz , Silvestri, Nicholas J. , Singleton, J. Rob, Smith, Benn E., So, Yuen T., Solórzano, Guillermo, Sorenson, Eric J. , Srinivasen, Jayashri, Tavee, Jinny , Tawil, Rabi , Thaisetthawatkul, Pariwat , Thornton, Charles A. , Trivedi, Jaya , Vernino, Steven , Wang, Annabel K., Webb, Tyler A., Weiss, Michael D. , Windebank, Anthony J. , Wolfe, Gil I. , Crum, Brian A. , Dimberg, Elliot, Chahin, Nizar, Cohen, Jeffrey Allen , Johnson, Nicholas E , Karam, Chafic , Ladha, Shafeeq , Li, Yuebing , Miller, Robert G. , Nowak, Richard J. , Richman, David P. , Shieh, Perry B. , Kolb, Noah A , Mauermann, Michelle L , Gutmann, Laurie , Allen, Jeffrey A , Arnold, W David , Vernino, Steven , Kaminski, Henry
Muscle & Nerve | December 13, 2015 | Volume: 53 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 165-168
Can mycophenolate mofetil be tapered safely in myasthenia gravis? A retrospective, multicenter analysis
Hobson‐Webb, Lisa D., Hehir, Michael K. , Visser, Amy , Sanders, Donald B. , Burns, Ted M., Crum, Brian, Crum, Brian A.
Muscle & Nerve | April 23, 2015 | Volume: 52 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 211-215
ABSTRACTIntroduction: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is frequently used to treat myasthenia gravis, but there is little information to guide clinicians on the safety of reducing the dose in well‐controlled patients. Methods: This retrospective chart review at 3 institutions identified 92 patients who had undergone MMF taper after achieving either pharmacologic remission or minimal manifestations status. Statistical analysis was performed to assess differences in patient characteristics between patients who had successfully tapered MMF and those who relapsed. Results: Of 92 patients undergoing a taper, 30 relapsed. The relapses were mild, transient, and usually responded to increased MMF dose. MG crisis did not occur. The mean dose at time of relapse was 888 mg/day. Patients with relapses were tapered more quickly (8.4 vs. 62.4 months). Conclusions: Tapering MMF appears safe after years of disease stability. Reducing the dose at a dose of only 500 mg/day every 12 months is recommended. Muscle Nerve 52: 211–215, 2015