Specimen Requirements

Call Chilton Hospital Pathology Laboratory at 973-831-5046 at least 1 day prior to procedure to schedule test.

 

Specimen must arrive between 9 a.m. and 12 noon. Send specimen Monday through Thursday only, and not on a holiday.

 

Specimen Type: Muscle

Collection Instructions:

1. The muscle should be carefully selected according to the following guidelines:
a. In acute and subacute conditions, the most affected muscle should be biopsied. In chronic disease processes, a moderately affected muscle should be biopsied rather than those that are severely affected. It is preferable to biopsy those muscles in which fiber type distribution has been established.

b. Muscles with a recent history of trauma, including electromyogram needle insertion, and intramuscular infection should be avoided.

c. The biopsy should be taken from an area of muscle away from the musculotendinous junction.

2. The muscle biopsy should be taken with great care to avoid any excess mechanical trauma to the specimen, to maintain the orientation of the muscle fibers, and to prevent the contraction of the biopsied muscle. Muscle clamps are not to be used. The following should be observed:

a. When infiltrating the skin with a local anesthetic (without epinephrine), it is important to avoid infiltrating the muscle itself.

b. Following blunt dissection, a cigar shaped strip of muscle at least 2.5 cm long and 1.0 cm wide should be removed with minimal handling.

c. Do not tie the muscle to a tongue depressor or any other object.

3. The biopsied muscle should be wrapped in saline-moistened gauze, delivered to the laboratory immediately, and handed to a technician.