Muscle biopsy

Alternative names:

biopsy - muscle

Normal values:

Normal muscle and related tissue anatomy. A microscopic examination with and without staining that shows no abnormalities is normal.

What abnormal results mean:

A muscle biopsy can reveal conditions such as:

• atrophy (loss of muscle mass)
• necrosis (tissue death) of muscle fibers
• inflammation of the muscle
• necrotizing vasculitis
• myopathic changes (destruction of the muscle)
• muscular dystrophy, indicated by antibody staining of the muscle biopsy specimen that can show deficient dystrophin

Disorders include:

• traumatic muscle damage
• Duchenne's muscular dystrophy
• polymyositis
• dermatomyositis

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:

• Becker's muscular dystrophy
• Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (hereditary)
• common peroneal nerve dysfunction
• eosinophilic fasciitis
• facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (Landouzy-Dejerine)
• familial periodic paralysis
• Friedreich's ataxia
• necrotizing vasculitis
• polymyalgia rheumatica
• senile cardiac amyloid
• thyrotoxic periodic paralysis