The Nerve and Muscle Center’s Neurocutaneous laboratory, also know as Skin Biopsy laboratory, is used to diagnose small fiber neuropathy. Skin biopsy is a technique used to study the density of the nerve fibers that supply the skin with its sensation. These nerve fibers are usually too small to be measured by the traditional nerve conduction study that is used to evaluate patients with neuroapthies. Damage to these small nerve fibers is called small fiber neuropathy and it usually presents with severe feet burning. Before the skin biopsy become available less than a decade ago, these neuropathies were not diagnosable and many patients were considered to be psychologically disturbed, in particular because they had normal nerve conduction studies.
The procedure is done on an outpatient basis and interpretation is made by Dr. Shaibani. Preoperative and postoperative instructions are provided to each patient. Doctors may choose to do the punch biopsy in their offices and charge for the procedure and they can send the tissue to an our lab for analysis. Upon their request, we will provide them with procedure instructions and shipping kits.
The Nerve and Muscle Center of Texas is proud to be one of only few centers in the country that performs this testing.
