Neuromuscular Pathology

The Neuromuscular Pathology Laboratory works closely with neurologists, internists, rheumatologists, pediatricians, and other physicians in and beyond Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), providing detailed pathological analysis of tissue to render clinically meaningful diagnoses. The laboratory provides stat diagnosis by telephone or fax in patients requiring prompt treatment such as inflammatory myopathies, vasculitis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and other similar treatable diseases.

The laboratory also analyses biopsies using histochemical and immunohistochemical methods to identify glycogenosis, lipid storage myopathy, mitochondrial myopathy, muscular dystrophy, and their inherited disorders. In appropriate cases, further genetic analysis of muscle is performed in close collaboration with the Laboratory of Personalized Genomic Medicine here at CUMC.

In addition to the conventional nerve analysis including teasing fiber preparation and electron microscopic examination, our laboratory also provides the evaluation of skin biopsy to detect abnormalities of epidermal nerve fiber density for patients with small fiber neuropathy.