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INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHIES: PATTERNS OF PATHOLOGY

Focal inflammation
Focal invasion of muscle fiber
Granuloma
Perimysial (IMPP)
MHC-I expression
Muscle fiber necrosis
Myositis
Also see:
  Dermatomyositis
  Inclusion body myositis
  Inflammation: Cellular Patterns
  Lymphorrhages
  Trichinosis: Acute; Chronic
  Vasculitis: Small & Large vessel


Patterns of inflammation

Perivascular
Lymphocyte inflammation

Polymyositis Mononuclear cell inflammation
H&E
Lymphocytes:
  Perivascular
  May extend into perimysium
  Common in BCIM
Endomysial
  inflammation


H&E
Lymphocytes:
  Often associated with
    focal invasion of
    muscle fibers
  Common in IM-VAMP
Perimysial
inflammation


Histiocytes
  Location: Perimysium
  Stain for acid phosphatase
  Common in IMPP
Granulomatous
inflammation


Histiocytes
  Focal clusters
  Endomysium or Perimysium
  Granulomatous disorders

Focal invasion of non-necrotic muscle fibers by inflammatory cells

Morphology
Endomysial inflammation
Histiocytes
MHC Class I
General features
Ultrastructure


H&E stain


 
Focal invasion of muscle fibers
  Mononuclear cells
    Present in: Endomysium; Focal invasion of muscle fibers
    Cell Types: Lymphocytes; Histiocytes
    Cell Molecular markers: KLRG1; CD8 3
  Muscle fiber cytoplasm: Normal color & structure
  Common in
    IM-VAMP syndromes: Inclusion body myositis & PM-Mito



H&E stain
Mononuclear cells
  Present in: Endomysium & Focally invading muscle fibers

H&E stain

Focal invasion of muscle fibers: Stages

H&E stain

H&E stain

H&E stain


Gomori trichrome stain
IBM: Focal Invasion of Muscle fibers by Cells

Gomori trichrome stain

 
Focal invasion of muscle fibers: Histiocytic cells

Acid phosphatase stain

Focal invasion of muscle fibers in IM-VAMP: Histiocytic cells
  Histiocytic cells invade muscle fiber (Arrow)

Acid phosphatase stain

Focal Invasion of Muscle fibers: MHC Class I
  Up-regulated by muscle fibers
  Strongly expresed by mononuclear cells invading muscle fibers

MHC Class I stain

Features of focal invasion of muscle fibers
  • Cells invade non-necrotic muscle fiber
    • Commonly CD3+
    • CD8+ cells
      • 60% of population
      • Cytotoxic
      • Recognize antigens on surface membrane
      • May also stain for CD57
    • Autoinvasive cells are oligoclonal: Express only few types of T-cell receptors (TCR Vβ families)
    • Macrophages: 20%
    • CD4+ cells: 10%; Do not penetrate muscle fibers
    • Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) chemokine expression 1
      • By CD3+ cells and macrophages invading non-necrotic muscle fibers
      • In response to TNF-α
      • During monocyte– endothelial cell interaction mediated by ICAM-1
  • Remaining cytoplasm of muscle fiber appears relatively unaffected
  • Invaded muscle fibers commonly
    • Express HLA-I (MHC-I)
    • Upregulate MMP-2 and MMP-9 on membrane
  • Many normal appearing muscle fibers in same biopsy express MHC-I on surface membranes
  • No binding of complement to muscle fiber (Not shown)
  • Clinical correlations
    • Pathology commonly associated with steroid-resistant forms of inflammatory myopathy
    • Specific syndromes with prominent focal invasion of non-necrotic muscle fibers

Necrotic Muscle Fibers


H&E stain
Necrosis, Early (Left)
  Fiber is pale & enlarged
  Internal nuclei
    Invading macrophages

Esterase stain
Necrosis, Late
  Fiber replaced by macrophages.
Also see
  Muscle fiber necrosis
  Regional Ischemic Immune Myopathy (RIIM)

Membrane attack complex deposition on muscle fiber surface


Stain: C5b-9 components of complement (Membrane attack complex (MAC))

C5b-9 deposition without muscle fiber necrosis


Major Histocompatibility Complex-1 (MHC-I) Expression in Muscle

General features
Normal: MHC-I on small vessels

Normal
MHC-I on small vessels but not muscle fibers
Necrosis: MHC-I on phagocytic cells

Necrosis
MHC-I on phagocytic cells in a muscle fiber

IBM IBM

Inclusion Body Myositis
MHC-I on surface of most or all muscle fiber
MHC-I increased in cytoplasm of regenerating muscle fibers
MHC-I also stains mononuclear cells in infiltrate (Right)

MHC Class I stain

Return to Inflammatory myopathies
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References
1. Neurology 2002;58:1779–1785
2. Neurology 2017 Aug 9
3. Brain 2019;142:2590-2604

7/3/2021