Morphologic and morphometrical study of the muscle spindle in muscular dystrophy.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the morphologic and the morphometrical features of spindles in biopsies of patients with different types of muscular dystrophy and investigate the possible involvement of the spindle in the pathologic process of these diseases.


METHODS
The following variables were studied in biopsy specimens from 10 patients with Duchenne or Becker dystrophy, 9 with limb-girdle dystrophy, 3 with congenital dystrophy and 3 with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy: diameter and area of spindle; thickness of the capsule; number, diameter and area of intrafusal fibers; and number and area of nuclei.


RESULTS
The statistical evaluation of the data showed significant differences regarding the thickness of the capsule, which was greater in patients than in controls, while the diameter and the area of the fibers were all smaller in patients than in controls. The area of nuclei of fibers was increased; this was a common feature for all types of muscular dystrophy.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings indicate that the spindle possibly participates in the pathologic process of different types of muscular dystrophies.
Myopathology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Athens National University, Eginition Hospital, Athens, Greece. ekarariz@med.uoa.gr
Evangelia G
EG
Kararizou
Panajota
P
Manta
Nikolaos
N
Kalfakis
Konstantinos A
KA
Gkiatas
Dimitrios
D
Vassilopoulos
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009470:Muscle Spindles / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology*; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000473:pathology*; D049288:Muscular Dystrophies, Limb-Girdle / Q000473:pathology; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000473:pathology; D020391:Muscular Dystrophy, Facioscapulohumeral / Q000473:pathology