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RESIDENT & FELLOW SECTION Clinical Reasoning: Section Editor A 45-year-old man with weakness and John J. Millichap, MD myalgia after orthopedic surgery Rocio Vazquez do SECTION 1 On examination, the patient had tenderness in Campo, MD A 45-year-old man underwent rotator cuff surgery and both thighs. There were no skin changes, swelling, Jason Siegel, MD developed fatigue and generalized myalgia postopera- or erythema. He had multiple surgical scars in the Eric Goldstein, MD tively. After 4 weeks of mild symptoms, he experienced right shoulder and mild weakness in proximal limb Elliot Dimberg, MD severe muscle aches and bilateral leg weakness after walk- and cervical muscles. Biceps and patellar reflexes were ing 1.5 miles, prompting him to seek medical attention. diminished bilaterally. He was able to rise from a chair The patient had a history of chronic pain syn- using his arms, but had difficulty ambulating due to Correspondence to drome and multiple orthopedic surgeries. He had leg pain. The remainder of the examination was Dr. Vazquez do Campo: no pertinent family history. He denied foreign travel, vazquezdocampo.rocio@mayo. unremarkable. edu consumption of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, nutri- Questions for consideration: tional supplements, or herbal remedies. He denied risky sexual behaviors. He was taking trazodone, oxy- 1. What is the differential diagnosis? codone, and omeprazole. 2. What studies should be obtained next? GO TO SECTION 2 From the Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, FL. Go to Neurology.org for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology e185 ª 2017 American Academy of Neurology. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. SECTION 2 given the diffuse nature of the symptoms. Due to the This patient presents with diffuse myalgia after patient’s history of chronic pain, fibromyalgia and a minimally invasive surgical procedure and is found polymyalgia rheumatica are possible, but objective to have mild proximal weakness on examination. Myal- weakness would not be expected. Finally, acute pain gia, or muscle pain, is encountered in a variety of condi- exacerbation and deconditioning after surgery are tions, ranging from benign causes, such as strenuous diagnoses of exclusion. physical activity, to life-threatening conditions. The first Initial laboratory evaluation in patients with myal- step in the evaluation of patients with myalgia is to estab- gia should include complete blood count, serum cal- lish a timeframe from symptom onset and precipitating cium and other electrolytes, urinalysis, renal and liver factors. Acute onset is observed after trauma, surgery, or function tests, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), strenuous exercise. If symptoms develop insidiously, and creatinine kinase (CK) levels. Depending on medications (statins, fibrates), rheumatologic conditions other symptoms, risk factors, and examination find- (polymyalgia rheumatica), chronic infections, or meta- ings, blood cultures, erythrocyte sedimentation rate bolic disorders (hypercalcemia, hypothyroidism, or hy- (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), or rheumatologic percortisolism) should be considered. studies may be helpful. The distribution of myalgia helps narrow the differ- In this patient, blood count and chemistries were ential diagnosis. Myalgia involving proximal appendic- normal. CK levels were elevated at 86,300 U/L ular muscles points towards a primary muscle disease (normal ,330 U/L). Transaminases were also elevated: or rheumatologic or orthopedic disorders. When dif- alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was 1,260 U/L (normal fuse, an infectious process, especially viral and parasitic, ,55 U/L) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was deserves consideration. Rhabdomyolysis from varied 3,270 U/L (normal ,48 U/L). Lactate dehydrogenase etiologies can also present with diffuse myalgia.1,2 (LDH) was 1,360 U/L (normal ,220 U/L). Alkaline Detection of objective weakness is important, but phosphatase and g-glutamine transpeptidase (GGT) frequently confounded by pain limiting maximal levels were normal. Urine dipstick revealed proteinuria effort on examination. Assessment of neck flexors and was positive for blood (1–3 erythrocytes per high- and extensors may be helpful. Both myopathies and powered field on microscopy). ESR and CRP were polyradiculopathies can present with weakness and moderately elevated. TSH was normal. Hepatitis serol- pain in proximal limbs. In this patient, sensation ogies, HIV, procalcitonin, blood cultures, and urine was preserved and reflexes mildly diminished, more drug screen were negative. suggestive of a myopathy. The temporal relationship Questions for consideration: with a surgical procedure requires exclusion of an in- traoperative or postoperative infection or an underly- 1. How do you interpret these results? ing metabolic or endocrine disorder exacerbated by 2. What information would help narrow the differ- surgical stress. Direct trauma from surgery is unlikely ential diagnosis? GO TO SECTION 3 e186 Neurology 88 May 9, 2017 ª 2017 American Academy of Neurology. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. SECTION 3 muscle enzymes, myoglobinuria, and generalized The patient had markedly elevated CK, AST, ALT, myalgia. The elevated ESR and CRP likely resulted and LDH levels. These enzymes are present in skele- from an inflammatory response to muscle injury. tal muscle cells and are released into the circulation as The most important next step was to provide IV the result of muscle damage and membrane disrup- hydration to preserve renal function and to exclude tion as seen in rhabdomyolysis. Transaminases and life-threatening complications (cardiac arrhythmias LDH are also found in liver tissue, but in the presence from electrolyte disturbances, severe metabolic acido- of hyperCKemia, these enzyme elevations are more sis, and organ failure). likely due to muscle breakdown than liver injury. In Once stabilized, the patient reported recurrent ep- addition, GGT and alkaline phosphatase, more spe- isodes of diffuse muscle aches and occasional dark cific markers of liver damage, were normal in this urine, which would subside within hours to days, patient. Other muscle components, including myo- after exercise dating back to his teenage years. He globin and other small proteins, are also released in experienced similar symptoms episodically in the con- the setting of muscle breakdown and excreted in text of surgical procedures and illnesses. Over the past urine resulting in proteinuria. Myoglobin has molec- year, he had developed exercise intolerance and could ular similarities with hemoglobin and also turns urine not walk more than 150 yards without experiencing dark; therefore the presence of myoglobin in urine severe leg pain. may be falsely labeled as hematuria. A few erythro- Questions for consideration: cytes under direct urine visualization, like in this patient, suggests myoglobinuria. 1. What are common causes of rhabdomyolysis? We concluded that our patient had rhabdomyoly- 2. What is the most likely cause of rhabdomyolysis in sis causing increased serum levels of CK and other this patient? GO TO SECTION 4 Neurology 88 May 9, 2017 e187 ª 2017 American Academy of Neurology. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. SECTION 4 metabolism. While in glycolytic metabolic defects, The causes of rhabdomyolysis can be divided into 3 patients usually have cramps induced by light exer- categories: traumatic, exertional, and nontraumatic cise or brief isometric contractions, symptoms in nonexertional. Trauma includes direct muscle dam- disorders of lipid metabolism are dominated by age or compression from prolonged immobilization myalgia triggered by prolonged or intense exercise against a hard surface. The second category includes and other situations that increase energy demand conditions in which energy production or utilization from fat (fasting, fever, trauma, surgery).4,5 Symp- by myocytes is insufficient to meet metabolic de- toms in our patient were precipitated by the stress of mands, such as hyperthermia, convulsive seizure, vig- surgery and possibly intraoperative anesthetics, and orous exercise, and metabolic myopathies. The third further worsened by prolonged exertion (walking group includes miscellaneous conditions (infections, a long distance), therefore a metabolic myopathy electrolyte imbalances, drug or toxin-related, muscle due to a lipid metabolism defect was suspected. ischemia, or inflammatory myopathies).3 We ordered serum levels of free and total carnitine, The cause of rhabdomyolysis in this patient falls acylcarnitines, and urine organic acids. Concentra- into the second category. He had a longstanding his- tions of long-chain acylcarnitines, particularly C16 tory of exercise intolerance beginning in childhood and C18:1 species, were elevated with an otherwise with recurrent myalgia and pigmenturia triggered normal carnitine profile (total plasma 76 nmol/mL by exercise and stress, suggesting a disorder of [normal 34–78 nmol/mL]). Further serologic meta- energy metabolism. In addition, after the attack bolic screening was unremarkable. Electrodiagnostic his strength improved and muscle enzymes normal- studies and muscle biopsy were deferred as both ized, indicating cessation of damage after resolution provide limited information in the setting of rhab- of the situation of metabolic stress. These features

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