Summary
N. suralis and M. quadriceps femoralis, taken from a patient with peripheral nerve paralysis following severe diarrhoea, were examined by electron microscopy. In the nerve fibres myelin sheaths were swollen and degenerated: axons in myelinated fibres also were degenerated. Degeneration was also observed in Schwann cells. In muscle the noteworthy findings were focal irregularity of Z-bands and disappearance of thick filaments. In all parts of the muscle, glycogen granules were remarkably increased in number.
These findings reveal that in the present case there was damage not only to peripheral nerve but also to muscle. The changes in the muscle are a new observation in subacute myelooptico-neuropathy.
Zusammenfassung
Von einem Patienten mit peripherer Nervenlähmung, die einer schweren Diarrhoe folgte, wurden Biopsien vom N. suralis und vom M. quadriceps femoris elektronenmikroskopisch untersucht. Die Markscheiden der peripheren Nervenfasern waren geschwollen und in Degeneration begriffen. Die Axone der markhaltigen Nervenfasern zeigten beginnende Degeneration; auch an den Schwannschen Zellen wurde Degeneration beobachtet. Bemerkenswerte Befunde am Muskel waren Unregelmäßigkeiten des Z-Bandes und Verschwinden der dicken Fasern. In allen Teilen der Muskel waren die Glykogengranula beträchtlich vermehrt. Diese Befunde zeigen, daß im vorliegenden Fall nicht nur die peripheren Nerven, sondern auch die Muskeln geschädigt worden waren. Die Muskelveränderungen stellen einen neuen Befund bei subakuter myelo-optischer Neuropathie dar.
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Miyakawa, T., Sumiyoshi, S., Murayama, E. et al. Ultrastructural study of a nerve and muscle biopsy from a case of “subacute myelo-optico-neuropathy”. Acta Neuropathol 16, 17–24 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00686959
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00686959