What are some common diagnostic tests?
Studying a small piece of muscle tissue taken from an individual during a muscle biopsy can sometimes tell a physician whether a disorder is muscular dystrophy and which form of the disease it is. In Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy, a muscle protein called dystrophin is either missing, deficient or abnormally formed. This protein can be examined in the muscle sample. The reason for the flawed or deficient muscle protein is a flawed gene for dystrophin. A test that involves looking at this gene — DNA testing — can be done to diagnose or rule out Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophies. Another diagnostic test is the electromyogram (EMG). To do this test, small electrodes are put into the muscle, which allows the doctor to measure the electrical impulses coming from the muscle. The test is uncomfortable. Another test often performed measures nerve conduction velocity (NCV). During this test, electrical impulses are sent down the nerves of the arms and legs. By measuring the spee
