Curare test
Pronunciation: kyoo-RAH-ray test
Historical diagnostic test using curare (d-tubocurarine) to unmask latent myasthenia gravis. Now obsolete due to safety concerns and availability of safer alternatives.
Full Definition
The curare test was a historical diagnostic procedure used to diagnose latent or mild myasthenia gravis by administering small doses of d-tubocurarine, a competitive neuromuscular blocking agent. The test was based on the principle that myasthenic patients would show exaggerated weakness in response to doses that would not affect normal individuals. Patients were given 0.004-0.006 mg/kg of curare intravenously, with assessment of muscle strength before and after administration. The test has been abandoned due to significant safety risks including respiratory paralysis and the development of safer diagnostic alternatives such as the Tensilon test and serology. It remains historically significant in the development of neuromuscular diagnostics.
Usage
Usage note: Mark as historical/obsolete test. Explain why it's no longer performed when referenced in older literature.
In Context
- "Historical records indicated the patient had undergone a curare test in 1965, which was positive for myasthenia gravis." — Medical history review
- "The curare test has been replaced by safer diagnostic methods due to its risk of inducing respiratory paralysis." — Medical education text