What is neuromyotonia?
Neuromyotonia is the continuous muscle rippling and stiffness resulting from bursts of discharges from the peripheral nerve.
It is neurogenic in origin and is due to an immune-mediated neurogenic hyperexcitability. On EMG, bursts of spontaneous motor unit activity firing at 40 to 300 Hz and lasting for several seconds are observed.
Antibodies against voltage-gated potassium channels are found in many cases.
Myotonia differs from neuromyotonia in that myotonia is thought be of myogenic origin.
This theory is supported by the failure of curare to inhibit myotonia.