title: Motor branch biopsy of the pronator teres muscle in a patient with painful forearm neuropathy.
abstract: Histological evaluation of a peripheral nerve is often the final diagnostic work-up for a neuropathy of unknown origin, and a distal sensory nerve is usually biopsied. Here, we report the case of a female patient with painful unilateral neuropathy in the upper arm. According to the histological evaluation of the pronator teres motor branch, vasculitis seemed to be the most probable cause of the condition, and steroid therapy improved the patients' symptoms. A biopsy of the motor branch of the pronator teres muscle nerve may be considered a valuable diagnostic option in selected cases with neuropathy affecting the upper limb, when performed in cooperation with neurologists and orthopedic surgeons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Neurology and Rheumatology), Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.affiliation: Department of Intractable Disease Care Center, Shinshu University Hospital, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Neurology and Rheumatology), Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryu-Ta
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Neurology and Rheumatology), Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Neurology and Rheumatology), Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Michitaka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Neurology and Rheumatology), Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Nagaaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katoh
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Neurology and Rheumatology), Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuhiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Neurology and Rheumatology), Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Shu-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikeda
keywords: Motor nerve branch biopsy; Multiple mononeuropathy; Muscle biopsy; Nerve biopsy; Painful neuropathy; Pronator teres