Guidelines for Muscle Biopsy

• Select a muscle which in clinically involved. In acute muscle weakness this should be a weak muscle. In chronic disease it is better to select a relatively strong but involved muscle, as the weak one is likely to show just "end-stage" muscle changes
• Select a muscle which has not had EMG needle insertion or immunizations (The left deltoid should be avoided for this reason). Most often the Left quadriceps (vastus lateralis) is selected
• Either a needle or open biopsy may be taken. In all cases please notify the Histopathology Department. - Neuropathology lab
• The muscle selected should be sent FRESH immediately to the Histopathology Department, where a sample will be frozen for Histochemistry and specially fixed for Electron microscopy
• It is best to avoid fibers in the area near tendinous tissue
• If you have any special queries please contact Histopathology Lab