AHN Myasthenia Gravis Clinic

AHN Myasthenia Gravis Clinic treatment

Myasthenia gravis can be challenging to diagnose, and getting answers quickly matters. Our physicians have more than two decades of experience recognizing its symptoms, giving us the skills to make a precise and timely diagnosis. Often, patients find that a combination of therapies effectively controls their symptoms. We also provide specialized inpatient services for people who require more intensive care, such as assistance walking, speaking, or breathing.

Getting treated at AHN

Myasthenia gravis treatment at AHN is personalized and uses state-of-the-art therapies and options that are performed by dedicated myasthenia gravis specialists. Getting an accurate diagnosis is the first crucial step in managing myasthenia gravis. Our team uses advanced, yet straightforward, tests to understand exactly what's happening in your body. We'll explain each test simply and ensure you're comfortable throughout the process.

Kinds of testing we offer

At the AHN Myasthenia Gravis Clinic, we understand that living with myasthenia gravis can be overwhelming. That's why we're committed to providing not just expert medical care, but also compassionate support and easy access to our team. We make your journey smoother with quick clinic scheduling and dedicated AHN staffing support for rapid insurance company coverage determination for complex therapies. We believe in treating you as a whole person, ensuring you feel heard, understood, and confident in every step of your treatment.

• Electrophysiologic testing: This includes special tests like repetitive nerve stimulation. These help us see how well the messages are traveling between your nerves and muscles. It's like checking the electrical connection to make sure signals are getting through clearly.
• Acetylcholine receptor antibody testing: Your body has special proteins called acetylcholine receptors that help muscles move. In MG, your immune system sometimes mistakenly attacks these. This blood test helps us find if you have antibodies (tiny defenders) targeting these receptors.
• MuSK antibody testing: For some people with myasthenia gravis, a different antibody called MuSK is involved. This blood test specifically looks for these MuSK antibodies to give us a clearer picture of your condition.
• LRP4 antibody testing: This is another specialized blood test that helps identify specific antibodies (LRP4) that can be present in certain types of myasthenia gravis, guiding us to the most effective treatment for you.
• Congenital myasthenia gravis antibody testing: For very rare forms of myasthenia gravis that are present from birth, this specific blood test helps us identify the unique antibodies associated with these conditions.

AHN standard therapies

Once diagnosed, we work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan using therapies known to be effective for myasthenia gravis. These treatments help control your symptoms and improve your daily life.

• Mestinon (Pyridostigmine)¹: This is often one of the first medications used. It helps improve muscle strength quickly by making more of the chemical that tells your muscles to contract available.
• Corticosteroids (e.g., Prednisone): These powerful anti-inflammatory medications help calm down your immune system, reducing its attack on your muscles.
• CellCept (Mycophenolate Mofetil)² and Imuran (Azathioprine)³: These are immunosuppressant medications that work overtime to suppress your immune system's activity, helping to control MG symptoms more long-term.
• Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG): This therapy involves giving you healthy antibodies through an IV. It can quickly reduce the attack from your own harmful antibodies, often used during symptom flares or before surgery.
• Plasma Exchange (PLEX): In this procedure, your blood is temporarily removed, the harmful antibodies are filtered out, and the filtered blood is returned to your body. It's a quick way to reduce antibody levels, especially useful during severe symptom worsening.

State-of-the-art treatments

At AHN, we are dedicated to staying at the forefront of myasthenia gravis care, offering the latest, most advanced treatments. These newer therapies often target very specific parts of the immune system involved in myasthenia gravis, providing effective options for managing the condition.

• Ravulizumab (Ultomiris)⁴: This is a biologic medication given intravenously (through an IV) that works by blocking a specific part of the immune system called the complement system, which plays a role in myasthenia gravis. It's often given less frequently than older IV treatments.
• Eculizumab (Soliris)⁵: Similar to Ravulizumab, Eculizumab also targets the complement system to reduce the autoimmune attack in MG.
• Efgartigimod (Vyvgart)⁶: This is a newer biologic therapy that helps reduce the levels of harmful antibodies that cause myasthenia gravis by blocking a specific receptor in the body. It can be given intravenously.
• Zilucoplan⁷: This is another advanced medication that targets the complement system, offering a new way to control myasthenia gravis symptoms.

AHN Myasthenia Gravis Clinic specialists

With years of experience, our Myasthenia Gravis Clinic specialists offer comprehensive care that’s coupled with compassion and understanding. They work in multidisciplinary manner to help control symptoms and help you get back to the activities and moments that matter most.

How to get care

If you want to be tested for or have been diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, we’re here to help.

Schedule your appointment today

To schedule an appointment or learn more about services regarding Myasthenia Gravis call 412-359-8850.

If you're an existing patient, you can also call (412) DOCTORS 412-362-8677 in Pittsburgh or request an appointment with AHN neuroscience services.

Find us

AHN Neurology
Floor 3 at Hemlock Building
320 East North Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
412-359-8850
Fax 412-359-8809

What to expect at your new patient visit

When you receive care that AHN Neuroscience Institute, you’re working with board-certified neurologists, neurosurgeons, and pain management physicians who can deliver highly specialized treatments using the latest, most advanced technologies.

We encourage you to sign up for AHN MyChart access where you can complete some new patient paperwork and questionnaires through MyChart web portal or MyChart smartphone app.

Plan to arrive at the check in desk about 30 minutes prior to the start of your appointment. This will ensure there’s enough time for the necessary intake information. Even if you use the e-Check in through MyChart, we ask that you arrive at a check in desk 15 minutes before the start of your appointment to make sure we have your appropriate information.

What to take to your first visit

We recommend that you bring a trusted friend or family member to attend any appointment, but we do not recommend taking young children who cannot be left unattended in the waiting rooms. There are also certain items and paperwork you’ll want to have with you, so our office staff and healthcare team have your necessary information.

Required identification and payment  

In order to process your information and start your appointment on time, please bring:

• Insurance cards
• Photo ID
• Copay (no cash accepted) 

Medical information and records

Please bring copies of previous medical records, including office visit notes, lab work, hospital stay summaries, and radiology reports from outside health organizations. You’ll also want to have a complete list of medications and supplements, including dosing amounts. For worker’s compensation or auto claim purposes, please have: date of injury, claim number, billing address, name and phone number of claims adjuster.

Imaging studies (if applicable)

If you have had imaging studies done at outside of Allegheny Health Network imaging locations, you will need to:

• Contact the imaging facility and request a physical disc with the imaging and radiologist report.
• Some sites will require a few days to a week’s notice before you can pick up the disc.
• If you do not have copies of imaging, your initial evaluation will be incomplete, and we may need to schedule additional appointments.

Personal items and equipment (if applicable)

If you will require any personal items or medical equipment — walker, cane, wheelchair, oxygen — that will make your post-procedure care easier, please bring that with. 

Clinical trials and research

At AHN, we are not only dedicated to providing the best myasthenia gravis treatment and care but also to shaping the future of care through clinical trials and ongoing research. Our myasthenia gravis specialists are actively involved in groundbreaking research and clinical trials, offering eligible patients access to innovative therapies and interventions that are not yet widely available.

Dr. Small has been a principal investigator in the clinical trials resulting in FDA approval for a number of the therapies listed. He is actively participating in new clinical trials of emerging myasthenia gravis therapies including chimeric antigen receptor T-cell related therapy (Car-T), a technology in current use for a number of blood-related cancers.

Our research efforts span various aspects of myasthenia gravis, including prevention, acute treatment, and long-term recovery strategies. We are committed to translating new scientific discoveries into improved patient outcomes.

What is a clinical trial?

Clinical trials are studies that try to answer questions about new ways to treat conditions with medications, radiation, or surgical techniques. Previous trials have shown how new methods of treatment improve survival and quality of life.

Participation in clinical trials can provide:

• Access to cutting-edge treatments: Opportunities to receive new medications, devices, or procedures before they are publicly released.
• Close monitoring and expert care: Patients in clinical trials often receive extensive monitoring and specialized attention from our leading stroke experts.
• Contribution to medical knowledge: By participating, you help advance our understanding of stroke and contribute to the development of more effective treatments for others.

Joining a clinical trial

If you are interested in learning more about current stroke research or whether you might be eligible for a clinical trial, please speak with your care team. They can provide information and guidance on these opportunities. You can also search currently active clinical trials that are open for participation.  

Refer your patient to AHN Neurology

If you have a patient that you would like to refer to AHN Neurology, call 412-359-8850 . Please fax pertinent records to 412-359-6617.

If you have any questions about independent physician referral, read the Independent Physician Referral FAQs.