Bone Marrow Aspiration & Biopsy

Bone marrow examination is the key test for many blood disorders and blood cancers. We perform it in the OPD under local anaesthesia, and the slides are reported by the haematologist, giving a faster and more reliable diagnosis.

Why it is done

Unexplained anaemia, low or high counts, suspected leukaemia, lymphoma staging, myeloma, MDS, aplastic anaemia, fever of unknown origin, and to check response to treatment.

The procedure

1. You lie on your side; the skin over the back of the hip bone is cleaned
2. Local anaesthetic is injected – you will feel pressure but little pain
3. Aspiration: a small amount of liquid marrow is drawn
4. Biopsy: a small core of bone marrow is taken
5. A pressure dressing is applied. The whole procedure takes 15–20 minutes and you can go home soon after

Preparation

No fasting is usually needed. Tell us if you take blood thinners (aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin and others) – some may need to be stopped. Keep the dressing dry for 24 hours.

Reports

• Aspirate smear – usually within 1–2 days
• Biopsy (histopathology, IHC) – about 5–7 days
• Special tests (flow cytometry, cytogenetics, molecular tests) – sent to accredited reference laboratories