A study of the value of closed bone marrow biopsy

Percutaneous microtrephine bone marrow biopsy by the Jamshidi-Swaim method was employed in the investigation of selected patients during a 1-year period. Data obtained from the study confirm the importance of this procedure as a method of diagnosing bone marrow lesions characterised by altered architecture or malignant infiltration. Common examples of such lesions are aplastic anaemia, myelofibrosis, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and carcinomatosis. Bone marrow aspiration is frequently not helpful in the diagnosis of these diseases, but it is important that both aspirated and biopsy material be examined together, since the two methods are often complementary.