Arthrogryposis; a clinical and pathological study of three cases.

Three typical cases of arthrogryposis are presented. Neurological examination points to involvement of the central nervous system in this illness. Repeated muscle biopsies in all 3 patients and a complete post-mortem examination in 1, suggest that this may be an infantile form of neuromuscular atrophy rather than a primary disease of either the joints or the muscles. Neither the use of steroid therapy nor prostigmine produced lasting benefits, although ACTH did seem to produce a definite, though slight, effect in freeing motion in the smaller, peripheral joints. One patient may have benefited from application of rehabilitation techniques.