What Is a Bone Marrow Aspiration? Everything to Know

Bone marrow aspiration is a procedure to take a sample of bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft tissue in bones where blood cells are made. Results of the procedure can help your doctor determine whether you have a certain condition, such as a blood disorder or cancer, or help guide treatment. This article explains bone marrow aspiration, including what happens before, during, and after the procedure. It also discusses the purpose of bone marrow aspiration, side effects, and when to contact a doctor.

Bone marrow aspiration is removal of a small sample of bone marrow from one of your bones. Your doctor uses a special needle and syringe to remove the sample. They usually take the sample from your:

• hip bone
• breastbone
• thigh bone

Bone marrow is a soft, spongy tissue inside the bones. Bone marrow helps the body make blood cells, including:

• red blood cells, which deliver oxygen to the body
• white blood cells, which help fight infection and disease
• platelets, which help blood clot

Bone marrow has both liquid and solid parts. With bone marrow aspiration, your doctor removes the liquid portion.

Your doctor may also recommend a bone marrow biopsy to remove a piece of tissue or sample of cells. Usually, they will do this right after the bone marrow aspiration. Learn more about bone marrow biopsy.

A bone marrow aspiration can tell your doctor how your blood cells develop and work.

It also provides information about certain conditions, including Trusted Source PubMed Central Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health Go to source :

• anemia
• stem cell or blood disorders
• rare genetic diseases
• blood cancers, including:
  • leukemia
  • multiple myeloma
  • non-Hodgkin lymphoma
  • Hodgkin lymphoma

If you have cancer, bone marrow aspiration can show whether your cancer has spread to the bone marrow. Learn about blood cancers.

Other reasons you may need a bone marrow aspiration include:

• checking for infection in the bone marrow
• seeing how cancer or bone marrow treatment is working
• collecting a sample of bone marrow for a procedure
• diagnosing a fever with no known cause

Doctors may recommend bone marrow aspiration for adults and children. The procedure can show if bone marrow is healthy and making the expected amounts of blood cells.

Bone marrow aspiration can also help monitor how effective certain treatments are. It can help diagnose blood or bone marrow cancers.

In adults, doctors may remove bone marrow from the hip bone, breastbone, or thigh bone. In children, the bone marrow typically comes from the lower leg bone, or tibia, below the knee.

A bone marrow aspiration typically takes place in a hospital or clinic. Once you arrive, you may be able to take medication to help you relax during the procedure.

A nurse will clean an area of your skin with an antiseptic solution. They will ask you to lie on your stomach or your side in a comfortable position, ready for the procedure.

The procedure usually lasts 20–30 minutes. In most cases, you will be able to go home shortly after the procedure.

Your doctor or nurse practitioner will inject a local anesthetic to numb your skin and the surface of the bone. You may feel a slight burning or stinging from the injection. Most children have a general anesthetic given through an IV line in the hand. Older children may have a local anesthetic and sedation.

After the anesthetic, your doctor inserts a special needle into the numbed area and gently pushes into the bone. They attach a syringe to the needle and withdraw a small amount of bone marrow fluid. You may feel some pressure and pain as the needle goes into the bone, but it should only last a few seconds.

Your doctor may take several aspirations for different tests. When done, they will clean your skin and apply pressure and a bandage to stop the bleeding. You may remain lying down for 20–30 minutes after the procedure, until you are ready to go home.

When you schedule the procedure, your healthcare team will give you detailed instructions on how to prepare.

Asking questions beforehand can help you feel as prepared as possible for the procedure. You may want to ask questions about:

• what you can eat before the procedure
• if you need to arrange for a ride home after the procedure
• other concerns

Also, be sure to let the healthcare team know about the following:

• medications or supplements you are taking
• medication allergies or bleeding problems
• if you may be pregnant

If your child is scheduled for a bone marrow aspiration, prepare them for what to expect to help ease their anxiety and increase cooperation. Preparation depends on the age of the child. Talk with your doctor about what your child can expect to see, hear, and feel during the procedure.

After the bone marrow aspiration, the healthcare team sends the collected bone marrow sample, or samples, to a laboratory. There, the samples will be examined under a microscope.

It can take 1–2 weeks to get your results. Your doctor will be able to explain what your results means and whether you require additional tests.

Your doctor will advise you on any diagnosis they can confirm at this stage and any treatments they recommend.

Most people do not have serious side effects from bone marrow aspiration.

There may be some tenderness and pain at the injection site. You may also notice some bruising.

Contact your doctor if you do experience any symptoms after the procedure.

Contact your doctor if you have questions about how to prepare for your procedure or what to expect during and after. They will be able to answer your questions and help to put your mind at ease.

After your bone marrow aspiration, contact your doctor right away if you experience any of the following:

• continuous bleeding
• unusual discharge
• severe pain at the injection site
• fever
• other signs of infection, such as redness or swelling

Learn about the warning signs of infection after surgery.

A bone marrow aspiration is a procedure to remove bone marrow from one of your bones. Bone marrow is the soft, spongy tissue that helps form blood cells. A bone marrow aspiration can help your doctor diagnose certain conditions, such as blood disorders or cancers. It can also show if cancer treatment is working.

During a bone marrow aspiration, a doctor or nurse practitioner uses a special needle and syringe to withdraw the liquid part of the bone marrow from the bone. You may feel some pressure and pain, but this should be temporary.

After the procedure, your doctor will send the bone marrow sample to a lab for examination. You may have mild side effects, such as tenderness or pain at the injection site.

Serious side effects are rare. Contact your doctor if you experience symptoms such as fever, swelling, or other signs of infection.