Muscle Biopsy Medical Test

Muscle biopsy plays an integral role in evaluation of the patient with neuromuscular disease. With occasional exceptions, it is an essential element in the assessment of a patient with suspected myopathy. A muscle biopsy can usually be obtained while you are awake and the area being biopsied is numbed by local anesthesia. A needle biopsy may be adequate in children and adults with chronic conditions. A muscle biopsy can lead to the discovery of problems with a nervous system, connective tissue, vascular system, or musculoskeletal system. In humans with weakness and low muscle tone, a muscle biopsy can help distinguish between myopathies (where the pathology is in the muscle tissue itself) and neuropathies. Muscle biopsies can also help to distinguish among various types of myopathies, by microscopic analysis for differing characteristics when exposed to a variety of chemical reactions and stains. The muscle selected for the biopsy depends on the location of symptoms which may include pain or weakness.

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