title: Endoneurial edema in sural nerve may indicate recent onset inflammatory neuropathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sural nerve biopsy is an important means of establishing the diagnosis of inflammatory neuropathies. We investigated the diagnostic value of endoneurial edema.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diagnostic sural nerve biopsies from 42 patients with inflammatory and 28 patients with noninflammatory neuropathies were re-evaluated for the presence of endoneurial edema. Edema was assessed on hematoxylin-eosin stained paraffin and frozen sections and on azure II-methylene blue stained semithin sections. We determined the area of endoneurial edema on digitized images in relation to the entire endoneurial area of each fascicle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Edema was more extensive in neuropathies with short disease duration (≤12 months) as compared to long duration (>12 months; P < 0.01). Edema in inflammatory neuropathies of ≤12 months duration covered a larger area than in noninflammatory neuropathies (P < 0.01), and the extent of edema correlated negatively with disease duration (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endoneurial edema may be a useful additional disease marker in inflammatory neuropathies of recent onset.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 11, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Nurcan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Üçeyler
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 11, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Necula
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 11, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wagemann
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 11, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Toyka
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 11, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sommer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D001706:Biopsy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D004487:Edema / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009134:Muscular Atrophy, Spinal / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D020364:Paraneoplastic Polyneuropathy / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D020277:Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: diagnosis; endoneurial edema; histology; inflammatory neuropathy; noninflammatory neuropathy; polyneuropathy; sural nerve biopsy