Reye's syndrome; diagnosis by muscle biopsy?

Three children with Reye's syndrome are described. One child died, the second had mild and transient illness, and the third had recurrent episodes. In all 3 children a muscle biopsy showed pronounced infiltration of the myofibres with fat microdroplets as shown by the oil red O stain and by electron microscopical examination. We suggest that needle biopsy of muscle may be a quick and safe aid to the diagnosis of Reye's syndrome, and may be preferable to liver biopsy in view of the pronounced tendency to bleed in Reye's syndrome.