Friday, February, 10, 2012

Nerve biopsy

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Biopsy - nerve


Normal Values

There is normal nerve anatomy, with no abnormal growths or inclusions.

Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.


What abnormal results mean

Conditions or disorders that may be revealed include:

  • Amyloidosis (sural nerve biopsy is most often used)
  • Demyelination
  • Inflammation of the nerve
  • Leprosy
  • Loss of axon tissue
  • Metabolic neuropathies
  • Necrotizing vasculitis
  • Sarcoidosis

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:

  • Alcoholic neuropathy
  • Axillary nerve dysfunction
  • Brachial plexopathy
  • Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (hereditary)
  • Common peroneal nerve dysfunction
  • Distal median nerve dysfunction
  • Mononeuritis multiplex
  • Mononeuropathy
  • Necrotizing vasculitis
  • Neurosarcoidosis
  • Radial nerve dysfunction
  • Tibial nerve dysfunction


Review Date: 06/24/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)