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Bone Marrow Aspiration and Biopsy

(continued)

Results

A bone marrow aspiration and biopsy removes a small amount of bone and a small amount of fluid and cells from inside the bone (bone marrow). It is often done to find the reason for many blood disorders and may be used to find out if cancer or infection has spread to the bone marrow.

Biopsy results are ready in 1 to 7 days. The bone is put into a solution that breaks down its calcium before it is stained. The bone marrow sample is often treated with special dyes (stains) to see any changes in the blood cells more clearly.

**Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration**
Normal:	The marrow has normal amounts of fat, connective tissue, and iron. Normal numbers of both mature and immature (growing) bone marrow cells are present.
	No signs of infection are seen.
	No cancer cells, such as leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma, are seen.
	No cancer cells have spread from other cancer sites, such as breast cancer.
Abnormal:	The cells in the bone marrow do not look normal.
	There are too many or too few bone marrow cells. The bone tissue does not look normal.
	Too much iron or too little iron (iron deficiency anemia) is seen in the bone marrow.
	Signs of infection are seen in the bone marrow.
	Cancer cells, such as leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma, are seen.
	The bone marrow has been replaced by scar tissue.

What Affects the Test

You may not be able to have the test if you:

Have bleeding problems or are taking blood thinners such as aspirin, heparin, or warfarin (Coumadin).
Cannot be still during the procedure.

Sometimes not enough bone marrow fluid is collected in a bone marrow aspiration. This is called a dry tap. If this happens, a biopsy to obtain bone marrow tissue is usually done.

What To Think About

If you have an infection, a culture and sensitivity test of the bone marrow sample can be done. If the infection is caused by a bacteria or fungus, the sensitivity test will show which antibiotics will work best to treat the infection.
Normal bone marrow in one site does not mean that all sites in the body are normal.

Other Works Consulted
Chernecky CC, Berger BJ (2008). Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures, 5th ed. St. Louis: Saunders.
Fischbach FT, Dunning MB III, eds. (2009). Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests, 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Pagana KD, Pagana TJ (2010). Mosby’s Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests, 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier.

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Brian Leber, MDCM, FRCPC - Hematology
Last Revised	November 12, 2010

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WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: November 12, 2010

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.