Nerve and muscle biopsy: electrophysiology and morphology in polyneuropathy

We correlated the results of biopsy of a muscle nerve, a sensory nerve, and tibialis anterior muscle with electrophysiologic studies in 13 patients with sensorimotor polyneuropathy and 6 patients with normal findings. There were significant correlations between teased fiber changes and conduction abnormalities in both muscle nerves and sensory nerves. The density of large myelinated fibers in the lateral fascicle of the deep peroneal (LFDP) nerve correlated significantly with both the motor unit estimate and compound action potential amplitude of the extensor digitorum brevis (EDB) muscle. Other characteristics of the EDB muscle compound action potential related poorly to teased fiber abnormalities. There was good correlation of needle electrode study of the EDB muscle with teased fiber analysis of the LFDP nerve and with the morphology of the tibialis anterior muscle in 75 percent of the cases, and only minor discrepancies in the remainder. These results emphasize the close relationship between certain structural and electrophysiologic changes in subacute and chronic polyneuropathy.