Edrophonium is a readily reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. It prevents breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and acts by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, mainly at the neuromuscular junction. It is sold under the trade names Tensilon®, Enlon® and Reversol®.

Clinical uses

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Because its duration of action is only about 10 minutes, edrophonium is used to differentiate myasthenic crisis from cholinergic crisis. In myasthenic crisis, where a person is not able to produce enough neuromuscular stimulation, edrophonium will reduce the muscle weakness. In a cholinergic crisis, where a person has too much neuromuscular stimulation, edrophonium will make the muscle weakness worse.

Sources

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1. Brenner, G. M. (2000). Pharmacology. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Company. ISBN 0-7216-7757-6
2. Canadian Pharmacists Association (2000). Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (25th ed.). Toronto, ON: Webcom. ISBN 0-919115-76-4

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Also - Chest CT to look for thymoma. Most centers don't do edrophonium any more due to pot cardiac SE and relative subjectivity. #neuroclerk
ohsuneuro (Jeff Kraakevik) Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:49:43 -0000
Also - Chest CT to look for thymoma. Most centers don't do edrophonium any more due to pot cardiac SE and relative subjectivity. #neuroclerk
RT @drarps: Edrophonium test seems good and cheap. Then there's the antibody testing for Ach-receptor abs. #neuroclerk
ohsuneuro (Jeff Kraakevik) Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:45:45 -0000
RT @drarps: Edrophonium test seems good and cheap. Then there's the antibody testing for Ach-receptor abs. #neuroclerk
@ohsuneuro Edrophonium test seems good and cheap. Then there's the antibody testing for Ach-receptor abs. (not sure which one to prefer tho)
drarps (Arpita) Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:55:44 -0000
@ohsuneuro Edrophonium test seems good and cheap. Then there's the antibody testing for Ach-receptor abs. (not sure which one to prefer tho)

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