Bone Marrow Culture
Alternate Names : Culture - Bone Marrow
 See all Pictures & Images
How will the Test Feel?
The specimen is collected from the back of the pelvic bone or from the sternum. The area is cleansed with antibacterial soap. The skin over the bone will be numbed with an anesthetic (a bee-sting sensation). Then a larger needle will be inserted through the skin into the bone and pushed into the cavity of the bone that contains the marrow.
A sample of bone marrow is aspirated into a syringe for analysis. Pressure and pain may occur with this procedure. Soreness at the site usually lasts only hours to a day or two.
If a bone marrow biopsy is also performed, a larger hollow-core needle is inserted, and a core sample of bone marrow is removed. A portion of the sample can be examined (biopsy sample) and another portion can be sent for culture. A bone marrow biopsy may cause feelings of pressure or pain. The pain is minimized with anesthesia of the bone (local anesthetic injected near the bone).
|
