Health Information
Bone Marrow Aspiration and Biopsy
Results
A Reference bone marrow Opens New Window aspiration and Reference biopsy Opens New Window 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.
| 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. |
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No signs of infection are seen. |
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No cancer cells, such as Reference leukemia Opens New Window, Reference lymphoma Opens New Window, or Reference multiple myeloma Opens New Window, are seen. |
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No cancer cells have spread from other cancer sites, such as Reference breast cancer Opens New Window. |
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| Abnormal: |
The cells in the bone marrow do not look normal. |
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There are too many or too few bone marrow cells. The bone tissue does not look normal. |
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Too much iron or too little iron (Reference iron deficiency anemia Opens New Window) is seen in the bone marrow. |
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Signs of infection are seen in the bone marrow. |
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Cancer cells, such as leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma, are seen. |
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The bone marrow has been replaced by scar tissue. |
| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: Reference November 12, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Reference E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Reference Brian Leber, MDCM, FRCPC - Hematology |
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