Relevance of Nerve Biopsy in the Diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy—A Systematic Review

Abstract

Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy is an immune-mediated pathology of the peripheral nerves and nerve roots that leads to weakness and sensory symptoms. Given its clinical heterogeneity, often times diagnosis is challenging. Even though nerve conduction studies and clinical features are the main criteria used for diagnosis, supplementary investigations, such as nerve biopsies, cerebral spinal fluid examination and magnetic resonance studies, may be used in order to confirm the diagnosis. Given the fact that the hallmark in CIDP physiopathology is the demyelination process, nerve biopsies are used to demonstrate and assess the magnitude of the phenomenon. The question and the main interest of this review is whether histopathological findings are relevant for the diagnosis and can be useful in disease assessment.

The multiple roles of nerve biopsy in the diagnosis and prognosis of suspected immune neuropathies

“…However, these criteria are not always sufficient to make a definitive diagnosis, especially in cases of advanced nerve degeneration [3,8]. In such situations, nerve biopsy can provide valuable information that may support or confirm the diagnosis of CIDP, as well as provide insight into the pathophysiologic processes and prognostic factors [9]. Nerve biopsy can invasively reveal characteristic features of CIDP, such Kalliopi Pitarokoili and Jeremias Motte contributed equally to this work.…”