McDougall A C, Harman D J, Waudby H, Hargrave J C
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1978 Oct;41(10):874-81. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.41.10.874.
In the 12 years from 1964 to 1976, 171 peripheral nerve biopsies were taken from 81 Aboriginal patients in the Northern Territory of Australia, in whom a diagnosis of leprosy was either known or strongly suspected. Sixty-eight biopsy samples were from 19 patients known to have leprosy, and who were under assessment for nerve grafting, results of which have already been published. We describe here the histopathological findings in the remaining 62 patients, in whom a diagnosis of leprosy was suspected on clinical grounds, backed in many cases by abnormalities of nerve conduction. Forty-one patients (66%) had abnormal histopathological findings in the nerve biopsy sample, 19 (31%) showing definite evidence of leprosy. Several patients with enlarged peripheral nerves, in whom the biopsy findings did not confine leprosy, remain under observation; their future investigation will include lymphocyte transformation tests and testing with refined lepromin, together with repeat nerve biopsy, where ethical and feasible. The clinical and epidemiological data suggest that a previous, and perhaps self-healing, form of leprosy may account for the neurological findings.
在1964年至1976年的12年间，从澳大利亚北领地的81名原住民患者身上采集了171份周围神经活检样本，这些患者已知或被高度怀疑患有麻风病。68份活检样本来自19名已知患有麻风病且正在接受神经移植评估的患者，其结果已经发表。我们在此描述其余62名患者的组织病理学发现，这些患者临床上怀疑患有麻风病，许多病例有神经传导异常作为佐证。41名患者（66%）的神经活检样本有异常组织病理学发现，19名（31%）有明确的麻风病证据。几名周围神经增粗的患者，其活检结果不能确诊为麻风病，仍在观察中；他们未来的检查将包括淋巴细胞转化试验和用精制麻风菌素进行检测，以及在符合伦理且可行的情况下再次进行神经活检。临床和流行病学数据表明，一种先前可能自愈的麻风病形式可能是这些神经学发现的原因。
