Peripheral nerve vasculitis: a clinico-pathological study

The clinico-pathological findings of 20 nerve biopsies consecutively performed at the neuropathological laboratory of Verona University Hospital were reviewed in order to establish the most important clinical manifestations of peripheral nerve vasculitis and to determine the role of biopsy in corroborating the diagnosis. Dystal sensori motor polyneuropathy was the most frequent clinical manifestation, confirming previous clinico-pathological studies and suggesting a more widespread pathological process than usually supposed. The biopsy was the basis of the diagnosis since it established or substantially modified the clinical diagnosis. Therefore we suggest that in cases with suspected vasculitis of the peripheral nerve the biopsy makes a useful contribution to diagnosis.