[Value of myometric findings in the morphological differential diagnosis of neuromuscular disorders (author's transl)].

This report deals with morphometric investigations of muscle biopsies using a semiautomatic manual analysis system. Examples for differential diagnostic value of metric results are described: 1) Different distribution curves of muscle fibers are helpful in differentiating between two important groups of muscle diseases, chronic polymyositis and muscular dystrophy. 2) Some groups of disorders (e.g. interstitial myositis, neurogenic atrophy) may be subtyped by metric data. 3) Several diseases (e.g. myotonic dystrophy) are characterized by selective atrophy of one fiber type only in distinct muscle groups.