Skin Biopsy Laboratory. The Johns Hopkins Cutaneous Nerve Laboratory is a diagnostic and research laboratory that uses skin samples to diagnose and monitor small fiber neuropathies. 3mm skin punches are analyzed for epidermal nerve fiber density and morphological changes and based upon these results a diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy can be made. Skin biopsy applications. Punch skin biopsy is most commonly used to diagnose a small fiber neuropathy. Such patients typically have painful numbness in the toes and feet in the setting of relatively normal examinations. Diagnostic testing in these patients with NCV/EMG (a measure of large myelinated nerve fibers) can be normal and skin biopsy can provide a valuable, objective measure of small unmyelinated nerve fibers. For such patients, biopsies are typically performed at standard sites along the leg. Punch skin biopsies can also be useful to diagnose patchy numbness as might occur in a mononeuropathy such as meralgia paresthetica, or in a mononeuritis multiplex. Our services are offered to practicing physicians and patients. We also serve as a core laboratory for clinical trials. Physicians may schedule patients for skin punch biopsies at Johns Hopkins without a separate new patient consultation visit, or, physicians approved by our lab to do so may perform skin punch biopsies in their office, and send the tissue samples to our lab for processing and interpretation, using the links below. |
