[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-458841-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-458841-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","biopsy-of-the-superficial-sensory-radial-nerve-in-the-distal-forearm-a-technical-note","Biopsy of the Superficial Sensory Radial Nerve in the Distal Forearm - A Technical Note","","Neurosurgeons are frequently asked to perform nerve biopsies to diagnose peripheral neuropathy when vasculitis, amyloidosis, or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is suspected. Although the sural nerve is often preferred, a biopsy specimen from the superficial sensory radial nerve (SSRN) is commonly selected when pathology predominantly involves the upper extremity. The SSRN lies superficially in the distal forearm, and the report details technical landmarks and procedural steps for obtaining a distal forearm specimen.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/biopsy-of-the-superficial-sensory-radial-nerve-in-the-distal-forearm-a-technical-note/458841/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/biopsy-of-the-superficial-sensory-radial-nerve-in-the-distal-forearm-a-technical-note/458841.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Muffet","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-02","2026-09-30",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",16,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why is nerve biopsy requested in patients with peripheral neuropathy?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Nerve biopsy is used when specific underlying causes are suspected, including vasculitis, amyloidosis, peripheral neuropathy of unknown etiology, and CIDP.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"When is the superficial sensory radial nerve (SSRN) selected instead of the sural nerve?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The SSRN may be chosen when the pathology disproportionately affects the upper extremities, since the specimen can target the relevant distribution of involvement.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What key landmarks guide the distal forearm SSRN biopsy procedure?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The procedure identifies and marks the radial styloid process, the dorsal tubercle of the radius, and the extensor wrist crease before incision planning.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},458841,1791074004,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,115,120,123,127],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":112,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":126},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":128,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":130},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":132},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":133,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":107,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":102,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962090768927,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45","Review began 11/21/2025  \nReview ended 12/07/2025  \nPublished 12/09/2025  \n© Copyright 2025  \nShearin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0. , which permits unrestricted use , distribution , and reproduction in any medium , provided the original author and source are credited.  \nDOI: 10.7759/cureus.98796  \nOpen Access Technical Report  \nBiopsy of the Superficial Sensory Radial Nerve in the Distal Forearm: A Technical Note  \nAlexander E. Shearin 1 , Daniel Surdell 1  \n1. Neurological Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, USA Corresponding author: Alexander E. Shearin, [ashearin@unmc.edu](ashearin@unmc.edu)  \nAbstract  \nNeurosurgeons are frequently consulted for nerve biopsy. Common indications for nerve biopsy include vasculitis, peripheral neuropathy of unknown etiology, amyloidosis, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) . While the sural nerve is most commonly selected, a specimen from the superficial sensory radial nerve (SSRN) is often chosen when the pathology is confined to the upper extremities. The SSRN is typically exposed in the proximal forearm between the brachioradialis (BR) and extensor carpi radialis longus (ECRL) tendons. Here, we describe the technical details for biopsy of the SSRNin the distal forearm, where the nerve is superficially located.  \nCategories: Neurology, Neurosurgery  \nKeywords: distal forearm, nerve biopsy, nerve surgery, superficial radial nerve, upper extremity neuropathy  \nIntroduction  \nNeurosurgeons are often consulted to perform a nerve biopsy in cases of peripheral neuropathy. Suspected pathologies for which nerve biopsy may be necessary for diagnosis include vasculitis, amyloidosis, peripheral neuropathy of unknown etiology, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) . Thesural nerve is typically chosen for biopsy, given its pure sensory function, superficial location, and relatively small reported area of diminished sensation following biopsy [1] . When a nerve biopsy is requested at our institution with no specifications, it is our preference to biopsy the sural nerve due to the small expected area of sensory loss or paresthesias. When the pathology in question disproportionately affects the upper extremities, the superficial sensory radial nerve (SSRN) may be selected instead [2] . The SSRN is a pure sensory nerve originating from the bifurcation of the radial nerve into the posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) and SSRN; it courses over the supinator muscle and between the brachioradialis (BR) and extensor carpi radialis longus (ECRL) muscles, piercing the antebrachial fascia in the distal third of the forearm to become subcutaneous and supply a variable sensory area over the radial half of the dorsum of the hand [3] . In reviewing articles and textbook chapters that describe SSRN exposure, most focused on accessing the nerve in the proximal forearm between the BR and ECRL [4-8] or as it emerges from the superficial fascia adjacent to the BR tendon [2], we found some sources that describe exposure of the nerve in the distal forearm and wrist [9, 10] and some with a textual description of SSRN exposure in that distal location with no  \nfigures [6, 11] . While these latter sources describe access to the SSRN in the location of interest, they omit the technical details to fully describe the procedure. Our purpose here is to review these details for the biopsy of the SSRN in the distal forearm.  \nTechnical Report  \nFor our procedure, the patient is seen in the preoperative area where the following landmarks are identified and marked: (1) radial styloid process, (2) dorsal tubercle of the radius, (3) extensor wrist crease (Figure 1) . These landmarks are chosen based on a cadaveric study, which was intended to define a safe area of incision for de Quervain tenosynovitis by delineating the relationships between the distal SSRN, cephalic vein, radial arte","cbCaioQ2CbEc8wRz","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaioQ2CbEc8wRz","pdf",6369851,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# Technical Report\n# How to cite this article","[{\"question\":\"Why is nerve biopsy requested in patients with peripheral neuropathy?\",\"answer\":\"Nerve biopsy is used when specific underlying causes are suspected, including vasculitis, amyloidosis, peripheral neuropathy of unknown etiology, and CIDP.\"},{\"question\":\"When is the superficial sensory radial nerve (SSRN) selected instead of the sural nerve?\",\"answer\":\"The SSRN may be chosen when the pathology disproportionately affects the upper extremities, since the specimen can target the relevant distribution of involvement.\"},{\"question\":\"What key landmarks guide the distal forearm SSRN biopsy procedure?\",\"answer\":\"The procedure identifies and marks the radial styloid process, the dorsal tubercle of the radius, and the extensor wrist crease before incision planning.\"}]","Biopsy of the Superficial Sensory Radial Nerve in the Distal Forearm - A Technical Note | PDF",1790754580,15]