• paraffin wax embedded sections
• frozen tissue
• immunohistochemistry
• muscle pathology
• muscular dystrophy

The article by Sheriff et al on the use of paraffin wax embedded muscle for the diagnosis of muscular dystrophy¹ illustrates some valid points, but some are questionable. Excellent results are illustrated and some retrospective studies of archival material will clearly be possible.

However, many of us in the field of muscle pathology will be alarmed at the statement in the discussion that “ . . .frozen muscle tissue is no longer necessary for the diagnosis of muscular dystrophy, with the exception of LGMD2F”. This statement is premature, inaccurate, and only deals with a limited number of muscular dystrophies. It also takes no account of the fact that the type of neuromuscular disorder is not known before a biopsy is taken, so tissue must be prepared for all possible studies.

Enzyme histochemistry still has an important role, and requires frozen tissue.² The authors take no account of the importance of immunoblotting, which …