Peripheral Nerve, Wallerian degeneration [LMP45021]

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Image Details
Diagnostic Modality: 
Electron Microscopy
Disease Category: 
Cellular Responses to Stress and Toxic Insults: Adaptation, Injury, and Death
Diagnosis: 
Wallerian degeneration
Species: 
Human
Organ System: 
Peripheral Nerve and Skeletal Muscle
Gender: 
Female
Age: 
75 years
Diagnosis Code: 
ICD-10: G99
Slide Contributor Information
Yoon, J., Munoz, D.

Keywords

Wallerian degeneration, chronic axonal neuropathy

Clinical History

Peripheral nerve biopsy from a 75-year old woman.

Clinical Discussion

The Electron Microscopy (EM) image shows two axons undergoing Wallerian degeneration at different stages. Wallerian degeneration can be defined as a sequence of axon and myelin degeneration. It involves antegrade degeneration of the axons and their accompanying myelin sheaths, following lesions in either the proximal axon or the neuronal cell body. The causal injuries could include focal demyelination, cerebral infarction and trauma.