Muscle Biopsy Request Form and Protocol

1. Page the Lab at least 24 hours BEFORE proposed procedure at 612-899-5229 and BEFORE scheduling or shipping anything. This allows questions to be answered and ensures staff availability to accept the specimen.
2. To assure the most accurate diagnosis, please provide two separate pieces of muscle tissue.
   • Adult muscle specimens should be roughly 1 cm long and 0.5 cm in diameter.
   • For pediatric patients, specimen size may vary.
   • The muscle itself should not be exposed to local anesthetics, which can cause artifact changes when processing.
3. Wrap both pieces of fresh muscle in saline-moistened gauze (squeeze out excess) and place in a fresh specimen cup. Attach patient label to specimen cup.
4. Write on patient label the muscle that was excised and the time the sample was placed in the container. Tightly close the specimen cup on wet ice. ALL patient information must be placed inside shipment.
   • Note: DO NOT ADD ADDITIONAL SALINE. Too much saline can cause tissue disruption and artifact when processing, while absence of saline will cause drying. The goal is to try to keep the specimen moist but not saturated.
5. Ship specimen in a biohazard marked Styrofoam container containing WET ICE immediately to the following address:

UMN Neuromuscular Pathology Laboratory
Moos Tower, 13th Floor, Room 13-129
Attn: Jackie Stevens
515 Delaware Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

The specimen MUST reach the neuromuscular lab within one hour of collection.

In the event of the UMN Path Lab closure or exceptions, please follow the HCMC protocol.