DRY TAP: A DIAGNOSTIC ALERT FOR UNDERLYING BONE MARROW PATHOLOGY.
Journal of Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad : JAMC
|July 18, 2015
Summary
A dry tap during bone marrow aspiration often signals underlying pathology. The specific cause varies significantly by age group, with leukemia in children and lymphoma or tumors in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- A dry tap during bone marrow (BM) aspiration presents diagnostic challenges.
- Identifying underlying causes of dry tap is crucial for timely diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of conditions causing a dry tap.
- To analyze these causes across different age groups based on BM trephine biopsy.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study was conducted from 2009-2012.
- Records of 548 BM aspirations and trephine biopsies were analyzed.
- Patients were categorized into pediatric (<15), young to middle-aged (15-59), and elderly (≥60) groups.
Main Results:
- Dry tap occurred in 9.5% (52/548) of cases.
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was the most common cause in children (60%).
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) was most frequent in young to middle-aged adults (30%) and the elderly (36.4%).
- Metastatic tumors were also a significant cause in the elderly (27.3%).
Conclusions:
- A dry tap serves as a diagnostic alert for underlying BM pathology.
- The nature of the pathology causing a dry tap is age-dependent.
