The incidence of ringed fibres and sarcoplasmic masses in normal and diseased muscle

Abstract

Of 200 muscle biopsy specimens ringed fibers were found in 31 and of these sarcoplasmic masses were observed in 21. These structures are often encountered together in both diseases and normal muscle. It is possible that both histological findings are manifestations of the same mode of reaction of the muscle. The authors are of the opinion that aberrant myofibrils form ringed fibers when the contact between origin and insertion is interrupted in some way. This may also explain the fact that ringed fibers frequently occur in muscular dystrophies where large areas of muscle tissue are replaced by adipose and connective tissue thereby disrupting the contact between origin and insertion of the remaining muscle fibers.