[The role of the electron microscope in the study of muscular diseases].
OBJECTIVE
Our study examines the most significant aspects of electron microscopy in primary and secondary myopathies from the point of view of the day-to-day activity of a general ultrastructural diagnosis laboratory.


METHODS
We review cases of neuromuscular pathologies in which electron microscopy has contributed to greater accuracy in diagnosis or the understanding of the pathogenic process, and our own data were tested against the existing literature.


CONCLUSIONS
As stated in several recent papers, our experience shows that electron microscopy is still a very important tool in the field of muscular diseases and can provide crucial diagnostic data, confirm the results obtained by other techniques or help settle the physiopathological foundations of many of these disorders.
Servicio de Patología, Hospital Universitario del Mar, Barcelona, España.
J
J
Lloreta-Trull
D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000473:pathology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000473:pathology