Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases logoLink to Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
. 1980 Oct;39(5):500–507. doi: 10.1136/ard.39.5.500

Muscle biopsy in polymyositis and dermatomyositis: a clinicopathological study.

H A Schwarz, G Slavin, P Ward, B M Ansell
PMCID: PMC1000593  PMID: 7436582

Abstract

The initial muscle biopsies of 30 patients with active polymyositis or dermatomyositis have been assessed histologically and morphometrically. Only 1 patient (3.3%) had a normal biopsy, while 3 had a normal electromyograph and 8 had a normal serum CPK level. No significant morphological differences were found between the various diagnostic subgroups. Sequential biopsies of 11 of these patients treated either with corticosteroids only or with intensive immunosuppression were studied. With response to treatment atrophy factors, variability coefficients, internal nuclei count, and the various histological changes improved in the whole group of patients. However, there was no consistent correlation between any of the morphological features or between these and clinical parameters in individual patients. The percentage of fibres with internal nuclei in the initial biopsy was lower (P < 0.001) in patients responding to up to 60 mg prednisolone per day than in those who eventually required cytotoxic drugs in addition.

Full text

PDF
500

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Banker B. Q., Victor M. Dermatomyositis (systemic angiopathy) of childhood. Medicine (Baltimore) 1966 Jul;45(4):261–289. doi: 10.1097/00005792-196607000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bohan A., Peter J. B., Bowman R. L., Pearson C. M. Computer-assisted analysis of 153 patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Medicine (Baltimore) 1977 Jul;56(4):255–286. doi: 10.1097/00005792-197707000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bohan A., Peter J. B. Polymyositis and dermatomyositis (first of two parts). N Engl J Med. 1975 Feb 13;292(7):344–347. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197502132920706. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brooke M. H., Kaplan H. Muscle pathology in rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, and polymyositis: a histochemical study. Arch Pathol. 1972 Aug;94(2):101–118. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DeVere R., Bradley W. G. Polymyositis: its presentation, morbidity and mortality. Brain. 1975 Dec;98(4):637–666. doi: 10.1093/brain/98.4.637. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Denman A. M., Pelton B. K., Kinsley M., Knight S., Partridge C., Walker P., Bannister B., Gumpel M., Smith D. S., Loewi E. The treatment of connective tissue diseases with antilymphocyte globulin. Postgrad Med J. 1976;52(5 Suppl):118–122. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Edwards R. H. Percutaneous needle-biopsy of skeletal muscle in diagnosis and research. Lancet. 1971 Sep 11;2(7724):593–595. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(71)92165-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Jennekens F. G., Tomlinson B. E., Walton J. N. Data on the distribution of fibre types in five human limb muscles. An autopsy study. J Neurol Sci. 1971 Nov;14(3):245–257. doi: 10.1016/0022-510x(71)90215-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. LAMBERT E. H., SAYRE G. P., EATON L. M. Electrical activity of muscle in polymyositis. Trans Am Neurol Assoc. 1954;13(79TH):64–69. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Marinacci A. A. Electromyography in the diagnosis of polymyositis. Electromyography. 1965 Oct-Dec;5(4):255–268. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mastaglia F. L., Kakulas B. A. A histological and histochemical study of skeletal muscle regeneration in polymyositis. J Neurol Sci. 1970 May;10(5):471–487. doi: 10.1016/0022-510x(70)90026-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McKeran R. O., Ward P., Slavin G., Paul E. A. Central nuclear counts in muscle fibres before and during treatment in hypothyroid myopathy. J Clin Pathol. 1979 Mar;32(3):229–233. doi: 10.1136/jcp.32.3.229. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Munsat T., Cancilla P. Polymyositis without inflammation. Bull Los Angeles Neurol Soc. 1974 Jul;39(3):113–120. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Oxenhandler R., Hart M., Corman L., Sharp G., Adelstein E. Pathology of skeletal muscle in mixed connective tissue disease. Arthritis Rheum. 1977 May;20(4):985–988. doi: 10.1002/art.1780200411. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Riddoch D., Morgan-Hughes J. A. Prognosis in adult polymyositis. J Neurol Sci. 1975 Sep;26(1):71–80. doi: 10.1016/0022-510x(75)90115-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Smith B. Skeletal muscle necrosis associated with cainoma. J Pathol. 1969 Feb;97(2):207–210. doi: 10.1002/path.1710970204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Urich H., Wilkinson M. Necrosis of muscle with carcinoma: myositis or myopathy? J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1970 Jun;33(3):398–407. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.33.3.398. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Winkelmann R. K., Mulder D. W., Lambert E. H., Howard F. M., Jr, Diessner G. R. Course of dermatomyositis-polymyositis: comparison of untreated and cortisone-treated patients. Mayo Clin Proc. 1968 Aug;43(8):545–556. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES