Nerve and muscle biopsy

Some diseases of the nerves (neuropathies) or muscles (myopathies, myositis) cause symptoms such as weakness, muscle pain or loss of sensation, without routine tests being enough to find the cause. A nerve and muscle biopsy allows a small piece of muscle and, when needed, of nerve to be examined under the microscope. The sample is taken through a short incision, most often on the leg or thigh. The nerve chosen is a small sensory nerve (often the sural nerve, on the outer side of the ankle), whose removal leaves only a small numb area on the outer edge of the foot. The muscle is chosen according to previous tests. This biopsy is always requested by a neurologist, after a clinical assessment, blood tests and an electromyogram, which guide the choice of muscle or nerve to sample. The result helps refine the diagnosis and adapt treatment. At Clinique Pasteur Tunis, the electromyogram can be carried out in the neurophysiology department. The procedure is done in the operating theatre, most often under local anaesthesia as a day case. The samples are sent to a specialised pathology laboratory.