Abstract
The neurogenic disorders include diseases affecting anterior horn cells, nerve roots and peripheral nerves. In many of these there is involvement of neural pathways, other than the lower motor neuron. For example, in motor neuron disease there is almost always involvement of the upper motor neuron and in peripheral neuropathies sensory fibres are also involved. In this chapter only the changes seen in muscle biopsies will be described. A general account of the pathology of these disorders is given in other texts (e.g. Weller et al., 1983). In many neurogenic disorders muscle biopsy is not indicated but in children muscle biopsy is useful in the diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophies and in adults, muscle biopsies are sometimes used in motor neuron disease when there is doubt about the diagnosis, particularly in patients with bulbar palsy without evident clinical involvement of the limbs. Sometimes muscle biopsies of adults with chronic neurogenic disorders are carried out to exclude polymyositis.
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Swash, M., Schwartz, M.S. (1991). Neurogenic disorders. In: Biopsy Pathology of Muscle. Biopsy Pathology Series. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3400-0_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3400-0_9
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