Analysis of 3494 bone marrow examinations in a referralhospital: indications and interpretations

ABSTRACT

To characterize the indications of performing bone marrow examination and the frequent diagnoses encountered in a referral hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and to correlate the indications with the yield of specific pathologic diagnosis. The bone marrow records in the Hematology section of the Department of Pathology at King Khalid University Hospital over a 12-year period from May 1983 - May 1995 were reviewed. The records were reviewed for age, sex, main indication for performing bone marrow examination and primary bone marrow diagnosis. There were 3494 bone marrow examinations, 2375 [68%] were from adults and 1016 [29%] were from children. The M F ratio was 1.51. The three most common indications were evaluation of postchemotherapy bone marrow in acute leukemia 26.2%, suspected infiltration by lymphoma or carcinoma in 10.3% and thrombocytopenia in 9.9%. The three most common specific diagnoses encountered were acute leukemia 27.3%, malignant lymphoma 13% and multiple myeloma 8.3%