Percutaneous Muscle Biopsy: History, Methods and Acceptability

Advances in histological, biochemical, physiological and molecular biological assays, as well as in microscopy and image analysis have allowed multiple analyses in muscle tissue (1-5). Muscle biopsy is invaluable in providing a definitive diagnosis of a wide range of myopathies (muscular dystrophies, glycogen storage diseases, inflammatory myopathies and congenital myopathies) and denervating disorders and gives important information on the course of the disease, informs treatment, disease stage as well as prognosis. Results of histopathological analyses should then be interpreted in context of the clinical history, examination and laboratory serum markers (1;6). Furthermore, access to muscle tissue provides the opportunity to assess morphological characteristics such as fibre composition, fibre cross sectional area and capillarisation (e.g. in ageing muscle) (7-9) as well as mRNA, protein abundance and muscle enzyme activity (10). Ultrastructural analyses to gauge response to intervention can be performed (11) as can studies of physiological characteristics of muscle such as single fibre contraction properties (2;8).