Muscle/Nerve biopsy Flashcards
(110 cards)
What are 4 standard muscles biopsied?
Muscle samples for what type of microscopy should be harvested first?
- Lateral head of the triceps (distal 1/3)
- Vastus lateralis (distal 1/3)
- Cranial tibial (proximal 1/3)
- Temporalis muscles
Samples for EM should be harvested first - collected before manipulation of the myofibers
- Immersed in glutaraldehyde fixative
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
How can H&E stain can be used to evaluate muscle biopsy?
What do basophilic fibers mean?
What do pale fibers mean?
H/E - general histopathologic features
Basophilic fibers - degenerating/regenerating fibers
Pale fibers - necrotic
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What features can be studied in muscle biopsies stained with modified trichome?
What 4 pathologies can be identified on modified trichome stain?
General histopathologic features
- membranous structures stain red (nuclei, mitochondria, sarcoplasmic reticulum)
- intramuscular nerve fibers (myelin) stains red
- collagen and myofibers stain blue
Pathology:
- nemaline rods (extensions of z-line proteins, stain red)
- ragged red fibers
- loss of myelinated nerve fibers
- fibrosis
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What muscle biopsy stain is used to differentiate between type 1 and 2 myofibers?
Myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) pH 9.8
- Type 1 stain light, type 2 stain dark
- used to identify fiber type grouping
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What muscle biopsy stain can be used to differentiate type 2A, 2B, and 2C myofibers?
ATPase preincubation pH 4.3 (reversal)
- Dog: Type 1 Dark, Type 2A light, type 2C intermediate
- Cat: Type 1 dark, type 2A + B light, type 2C intermediate
- Type 2A and B are differentaed with ATPase preincubation pH 4.6
- 2A - light
- 2B - intermediate
- Type 2A and B are differentaed with ATPase preincubation pH 4.6
- Can be used to differentiate chronic denervation and reinnervation (type 1 fibers are dark) from steroid/endocrine myopathy (type 2 fibers light)
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What 3 structures stain magenta with Periodic acid-Schiff-hematoxylin (muscle biopsy)?
External lamina, glycogen, and myelin are positively stained (magenta)
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What stain is used to evaluate for glycogen storage disease?
Periodic Acid-Schiff-hematoxylin
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What stain is used to highlight intermyofibrillar lipid inclusions and fat cells in mysial connective tissue of muscle biopsies?
Oil Red O
- stains neutral triglycerides
- there should be NO intramyofiber lipid stores
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What stain is used to diagnose lipid storage myopathy?
Oil red O
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What two stains are available for mitochondrial oxidative enzymes (muscle biopsy)?
Which one can also identify tubular aggregates?
- Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-tetrazolium reductase (NAD reductase)
- Can also identify tubular aggregates (sarcoplasmic reticulum)
- Succinate dehydrogenase
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What stain is used to highlight lysosomes in macrophages in muscle biopsy?
Acid phosphatase - lysosomes stain red
- Stains lysosomal deposits in acid maltase deficiency
- Used primarily in inflammatory myopathies
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
_______ should not stain normal muscle, but if dermatomyositis is present, there will be positive staining.
Alkaline phosphatase
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
____________ should not stain normal muscle, but if there is immunoglobulin deposition, there will be positive staining
Staphylococcal protein A-horseradish peroxidase
- No staining in normal tissues
- Immunoglobulin deposition in immune-based disease (nuclear, sarcolemmal, diffuse, neuromuscular junction)
- Stains eosinohils black
- Artifactually stains necrotic fibers
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What 2 structures are stained positively with esterase stain (muscle biopsy)?
- Localization of motor endplate (acetylcholine)
- Lysosomes in macrophages
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What can be causes of lipid storage myopathy? (3)
- fatty acid oxidation disorder
- primary or secondary carnitine deficiency
- endocrine myopathy
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What muscle enzyme stain identifies inclusions in muscle biopsies?
Congo red - stains inclusions in muscle biopsies
- highlights amyloid deposits
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What muscle biopsy stains are used to detect immunophenotype?
- CD3 - T cell population
- CD21 - B cell population
- CD4 - macrophages
- CD8 - dendritic
(VCNASAP Dickinson)
What type of artifact? (left is normal)

What type of stain is this?
What type of stain and what pathology is shown?
What type of stain?
What is the anatomic structure?
What type of stain?
What anatomic structure is shown?
Modified Gomori Trichome
What type of pathology is shown?
What breeds? (3)
Nemaline rod
- Mutated Genes:
- Skeletal
- α-actin
- Nebulin
- Tropomyosin 2
- Tropomyosin 3
- Troponin T
- Cofilin 2
- Nemaline rod myopathy – Congenital nemaline rod myopathy has been reported in the Border Collie, cats and most recently in American Bulldogs
- A mutation has been identified in the Nebulin gene in American Bulldogs
(Shelton)
What is the stain?
What pathology is shown?
Ragged red fiber = accumulations of abnormal mitochondria
Modified Trichome
(Shelton)



