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Bone marrow biopsy

• Overview
• Risks
• Results

Alternative Names:

Biopsy - bone marrow

Normal Values:

The marrow has normal cells that are the correct types and numbers.

What abnormal results mean:

The results may indicate cancers of the bone marrow (leukemia or Hodgkin's disease ). The results may detect the cause of anemia (too few red blood cells), abnormal white blood cells, or thrombocytopenia (too few platelets).

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:

• Disseminated coccidioidomycosis
• Hairy cell leukemia
• Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Idiopathic aplastic anemia
• Multiple myeloma
• Neuroblastoma
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Polycythemia vera
• Primary amyloid
• Primary myelofibrosis
• Primary thrombocythemia
• Secondary aplastic anemia
• Secondary systemic amyloid

References:

McPherson RA and Pincus MR. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 21st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2007:478-81.

Hoffman R, Benz Jr. EJ, Shattil SJ, et al., eds. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Churchill Livingston; 2005:2657.

• Review Date: 3/8/2007
• Reviewed By: Mark Levin, MD, Hematologist and Oncologist, Newark, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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