Quantitative histochemical evaluation of normal human skeletal muscle

Skeletal muscle tissue was obtained by open biopsy from the vastus lateralis and peroneus brevis muscles from 12 and 16 healthy paid volunteers, respectively. Frozen sections were examined with standard histochemical methods. Central nuclei, small and large angular fibers, and small round fibers were the most common “abnormalities” present. The number of fibers of these types were quantified, along with other more rare deviations from normal morphology. Several of the abnormalities were more common in the peroneus brevis than irr the vastus lateralis.