A sural nerve biopsy was performed on this 60-year-old patient to evaluate for mononeuropathy.
What structure is demonstrated in Figures #1 – #4?
A. Glomus body
B. Golgi tendon organ
C. End-stage nerve
D. Pacinian corpuscle
These images show the “onion skin” like layers of a specialized mechanoreceptor. The central nerve ending is not in the plane of section in these images.
Answer: Pacinian corpuscle
The images show the incidental presence of a Pacinian corpuscle (one type of mechanoreceptor) within the soft tissue adjacent to this patient’s sural nerve. Pacinian corpuscles are involved in vibratory and pressure sensation.
Reference(s) / additional reading:
Suazo I, Vega JA, García-Mesa Y, García-Piqueras J, García-Suárez O, Cobo T. The Lamellar Cells of Vertebrate Meissner and Pacinian Corpuscles: Development, Characterization, and Functions. Front Neurosci. 2022 Mar 9;16:790130. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.790130. PMID: 35356056; PMCID: PMC8959428.
Bajwa H, Al Khalili Y. Physiology, Vibratory Sense. 2022 May 8. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan–. PMID
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacinian_corpuscle : 31194428.
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