A Case Report of the Efficient Reduction of Calcium Channel Antibodies by Tryptophan Ligand Immunoadsorption in a Patient With Lambert-Eaton Syndrome

Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is a neuromuscular transmission disease caused by autoantibodies directed against voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC). We report on a patient with LEMS and a cerebellar syndrome associated with lymphatic proliferation in the thymus. As thymectomy and immunosuppressive therapy failed to efficiently reduce clinical symptoms and VGCC antibody titer, we performed immunoadsorption using a tryptophan-ligand column for the first time. Repeated treatments resulted in a considerable decrease in antibody levels and a marked subjective and objective amelioration of LEMS as well as of the cerebellar symptoms.