Myopathy with Tubular Aggregates

Last updated on Tuesday, January 6 2009 by jdmiles

Tubular aggregates are a fairly nonspecific finding. They are found in many muscle disorders, including perioric paralyses, some myotonic disorders, ond some toxic myopathies.

Tubular aggreagates look like this (click to enlarge):

References:

Katirji, B., Kaminsky, H.J., Preston, D.C., Ruff, R.L., and Shapiro, B.E. (Eds.) (2002). Neuromuscular Disorders in Clinical Practice. Butterworth Heinemann, Boston. (ISBN:0750671696) Pp. 1114-1127.

Prayson, R.A., and Goldblum, J.R. (Eds.) (2005). Neuropathology. Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, Philadelphia. (ISBN:0443066582) Pp. 537-581.

Related images:

Myopathy with tubular aggregates, NADH-TR histochemical staining x400
Tubular aggregates are composed of sarcoplasmic reticulum, and therefore stain strongly for NADH-TR activity.

Myopathy with tubular aggregates, Gomori trichrome stain x 400.
Collections of red staining subsarcolemmal aggregates may represent either mitochondria or tubular aggregates. Mitochondria stain strongly for succinate dehydrogenase (and also usually cytochrome oxidase) in addition to NADH-TR, while tubular aggregates stained only for the latter.

Myopathy with tubular aggregates, H&E stain x 200
Tubular aggregates may be seen on H&E stained sections of frozen muscle as basophilic intracytoplasmic deposits, not easily confused with mitochondrial proliferations.