@article{32063,
  keywords = {Cutaneous nerve biopsy, Histopathology, leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae, Pure Neural leprosy diagnosis, Skin overlying nerve},
  author = {Shetty VP and Wakade AV},
  title = {Diagnostic value of histopathology of the affected nerve versus overlying skin, in pure neural cases of leprosy},
  abstract = {<p><strong>Summary</strong> Proof of leprosy as a cause of {\textquoteleft}pure neural leprosy{\textquoteright} needs histological evidence, which is often sought in the affected peripheral nerves. Obtaining a nerve biopsy may not always be practicable. Thus in this study, the histopathology of the involved nerve and the overlying skin were compared in 32 cases of {\textquoteleft}pure neural leprosy{\textquoteright} in order to determine the utility of skin biopsy in diagnosing leprosy. Evidence of leprosy was present in all, except one nerve biopsy (97\%) and in 14/32 (44\%) skin biopsies from skin overlying the biopsied nerve. One noteworthy finding is that in nerves showing BL-LLs leprosy, which formed a major group (59\%), only 26\% of biopsies of the overlying skin showed evidence of leprosy. In nerves showing BT pathology, 67\% of the biopsies of overlying skin showed evidence of leprosy.<br />
<strong>Conclusion:</strong> Histopathological examination of the overlying skin compares poorly with the affected cutaneous nerve and is of limited diagnostic value, particularly at the lepromatous end of the spectrum.</p>
},
  year = {2018},
  journal = {Leprosy review},
  volume = {89},
  pages = {165{\textendash}169},
  url = {https://leprosyreview.org/article/89/2/16-5169},
  language = {eng},
}