Biopsy of peripheral nerves in diagnostics of polyneuropathy

Peter Dick and colleagues developed nerve isolation technique more than half a century ago in the laboratory of nerve pathomorphism, Mayo Clinic (Minnesota). Despite a large number of available research methods nerve biopsy has retained its diagnostic value. It is used in such cases when it is impossible to establish the cause of neuropathy using routine examination techniques. The purpose of this review is to discuss the informativeness of biopsy in various peripheral nerve disorders. Patients undergoing the procedure should clearly understand what questions it can answer. The described morphological methods for nerve biopsy and the results obtained will allow a neurologist to assess the need for such a diagnostic technique. The nosology spectrum, given in this review, shows the possibilities of morphological diagnostics for idiopathetic polyneuropathies.