Peripheral Nervous System

From a practical point of view, the pathology of peripheral nerves falls into two main categories: (a) peripheral neuropathies, which are diagnosed and treated by physicians and for which an elective nerve or muscle biopsy may be performed as a diagnostic procedure rather than as a therapeutic exercise, and (b) tumors and traumatic lesions, which are removed surgically mainly as a therapeutic measure to alleviate symptoms. For the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathies, a detailed knowledge of the structure, immunohistochemistry and ultrastructure of peripheral nerves. The diagnosis of tumors and more on identifying the cellular their interrelationships. This chapter, therefore, concentrates first on how to identify different cellular components in normal peripheral nerves, and second, on how knowledge of the normal structure of peripheral nerves can be used to identify and assess pathologic lesions. © Wolters Kluwer