Congenital myopathies: a clinicopathological study of 25 cases

Congenital myopathies are rare. Through this article, the authors want to present a clinicopathological analysis of 25 new cases.

The clinical data of patients who were diagnosed with congenital myopathy between 2001 and 2006 was retrieved. Muscle biopsies were processed for H&E staining, enzyme histochemistry, and immunohistochemistry. Biopsies were also processed for ultrastructural analysis.

During a period of 6 years, 1.12% of the muscle biopsies were diagnosed as congenital myopathies. The most common congenital myopathy was central core disease followed by nemaline rod myopathy and multi-mini core disease. Clinically, they have variable features. The final diagnosis was made with the help of enzyme histochemistry and ultrastructural features.

This study emphasizes the importance of enzyme histochemistry and electron microscopic examination in the diagnosis of congenital myopathies especially in the absence of genetic studies.