Test Details: DMD is a rapidly progressive form of muscular dystrophy that occurs exclusively in males. It is caused by an alteration (mutation) in a gene, called the Dystrophin gene that can be inherited in families in an X-linked recessive pattern. Females behave as carriers and are generally not affected by these mutations. Multiplex ligation probe amplification (MLPA) is a technique used to identify deletions and duplications and can evaluate all 79 exons in dystrophin gene in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This test helps to determine carrier status in females.