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Old Thu Apr 28, 2016, 11:41 AM
Neil Cuadra Neil Cuadra is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Posts: 2,553
A bone marrow biopsy and aspiration is a surgical procedure to extract a bone marrow sample (part solid, part liquid). The sample is studied in a laboratory to learn about the numbers and conditions of cells in the bone marrow. This is one of ways in which a bone marrow-related disease is diagnosed, and can also be used to judge how a post-transplant patient is doing.

For example, they measure cellularity, the volume of marrow cells vs. fat cells, which indicates whether enough new blood cells are being formed in the bone marrow.

The bone marrow sample is also used to study chromosomes. The FISH test is one of the ways they can do this. The purpose is to see if there are genetic mutations that would explain bone marrow production problems.

Nobody wants to undergo a bone marrow biopsy unless they need to. But sometimes the doctors need to know what's going on inside the bone marrow, and simple blood tests can't tell you that.

I've been assuming that your daughter was diagnosed with bone marrow failure, since you came to these forums. What was her specific diagnosis?

I don't think you can judge your daughter's condition yourself, and you need her doctor to tell you what's going on or how they will find out.
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