AIMS To evaluate success in obtaining adequate bone marrow trephine biopsy cores from children. METHODS Sections of trephine biopsy cores submitted by 25 centres from children with neuroblastoma over a five year period were reviewed centrally. In cores containing no tumour adequacy was defined as 0.5 cm of well preserved bone marrow after processing. Occasional smaller cores containing obviou...

Immunoglobulin (Ig) was demonstrated in paraffin sections of 12 trephine bone marrow biopsies by means of the unlabelled antibody peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) method. The Ig-containing cells, which were counted with the Reichert-Jung (Kontron) MOP-AMO(3) user-controlled image-analyser, were found to constitute approximately 4.2% of all the nucleated cells in the marrow, a figure significantl...

The routine study of bone marrow trephine biopsies involves fixation, decalcification, paraffin-embedment, sectioning and staining. However, this process creates artifacts, produces shrinkage of tissue, consumes time and can result in sections of unsatisfactory cytological quality. It also renders the tissue unsuitable for enzyme-histochemical and immunohistochemical analyses. Frozen section of...

AIMS To investigate the value of bone marrow biopsy in the diagnosis of mycobacterial infection. METHODS The culture results of 433 bone marrow samples taken between 1983 and 1992 were reviewed. The histopathology reports on bone marrow trephine specimens of culture positive samples and all those on HIV positive patients sent in 1992 were also reviewed. RESULTS Fifty one specimens yielded M...

Aim—To complete an audit of bone marrow trephine biopsy adequacy in children Material—605 specimens from children with neuroblastoma submitted by 25 centres were reviewed centrally. This reassessment ran between January 1995 and August 1998. Results—25% of specimens (95% confidence interval (CI) 21% to 29%) were inadequate compared with 17% (95% CI 14% to 20%) in a previous study. Variation bet...

Hemorrhagic complications related to bone marrow aspiration and trephine biopsy are uncommon. Risk factors include thrombocytopenia, myeloproliferative disorders, concurrent use of anticoagulants, and obesity. Here we describe our technique for bone marrow aspiration and biopsy of the posterior iliac crest using CT guidance. Our technique ensures needle passage only through subcutaneous fat and...