Those other tests may be:
* EMG
An EMG is electromyography. In this test, electrodes are put on or into the skin, and the electric activity of muscles and nerves is measured. The results can tell where the cause of the disease is. In DMD that would be in the muscle, in other diseases it can be in the nerves or the backbone.
* EKG
EKG stands for electrocardiography, testing the activity in the heart. DMDers often show distinctive EKG patterns.
* urine tests
Urine tests can show the presence of muscle enzymes, and point out that muscle wasting is indeed going on.
* the traditional "open" muscle biopsy
In this test, under local or general anesthesia, a cut is made in the skin, usually of the thigh. Then, a piece of muscle about the size of the tip of your little finger is removed, and the muscle fibers are examined under a microscope. Until the dystrophin test came along, this test was the diagnostic clincher.
Once more, the dystrophin test goes right to the heart of the diagnosis, which makes it more efficient and less intrusive than the battery of other tests that only give circumstantial evidence.
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Someone should write a section here about the new genetic tests that can tell you if your child could benefit from antibiotics treatment. I don't have good documentation about that. If you do, please contact me.
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