Skin biopsy in the management of peripheral neuropathy

C Sommer, G Lauria - The Lancet Neurology, 2007 - thelancet.com
The Lancet Neurology, 2007thelancet.com
Skin biopsy has been widely used in recent years for the investigation of small-calibre
sensory nerves, including somatic unmyelinated intraepidermal nerve fibres, dermal
myelinated nerve fibres, and autonomic nerve fibres in peripheral neuropathies, with
different techniques for tissue processing and nerve fibre assessment. Here, we review the
techniques for skin biopsy, the processing and assessment of the biopsy sample, their
possible uses in different types of peripheral neuropathy, and their use in the follow-up of …
Summary
Skin biopsy has been widely used in recent years for the investigation of small-calibre sensory nerves, including somatic unmyelinated intraepidermal nerve fibres, dermal myelinated nerve fibres, and autonomic nerve fibres in peripheral neuropathies, with different techniques for tissue processing and nerve fibre assessment. Here, we review the techniques for skin biopsy, the processing and assessment of the biopsy sample, their possible uses in different types of peripheral neuropathy, and their use in the follow-up of patients and in clinical trials. We also review the association between morphological measures of skin innervation and function and the limits of this method in the aetiological classification of peripheral neuropathies.
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