Bone Marrow Necrosis: A Case Report

Shaista Choudhary; H T Jayaprakash; B R Shiva Kumar; G Suba

Shaista Choudhary Associate Professor, Department of Pathology
H T Jayaprakash Professor and Head,Department of Pathology
B R Shiva Kumar Professor, Department of Medicine
G Suba Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology

Keywords: Bone marrow, Hematopoietic, Necrosis, Thrombocytopenia

Abstract

The bone marrow is one of the largest organs in the human body (Lund, 2000). It is the major hematopoietic organ and is
important as both a primary and secondary lymphoid organ. Since it is a potential target organ of various disorders, evaluation of
blood and bone marrow is an important component of any overall assessment studies. Bone marrow evaluation studies provide
information about bone marrow tissue architecture like cellularity, cell lineages, vascular or stromal alterations, infl ammation
or necrosis. When it is used in conjunction with a complete blood count, the histological examination of bone marrow provides
information regarding the hematopoietic system that might otherwise be missed by examination of peripheral blood smear alone.
Bone marrow is rarely affected by various disorders like metastatic tumors storage disorders, leukemia, lymphomas, etc. Few
such lesions result in necrosis of bone marrow. This signals bad prognosis. The various disorders which affect the bone marrow
are leukemias, lymphomas, storage disorders, tuberculosis, metastatic deposits, and fungal infections. We report a case of
65-year-old female who underwent bone marrow biopsy. Histological features were consistent with necrosis of bone marrow.

Author Biographies

Shaista Choudhary, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Medical College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

H T Jayaprakash, Professor and Head,Department of Pathology

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Medical College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

B R Shiva Kumar, Professor, Department of Medicine

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Medical College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

G Suba, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Medical College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

References

1. Janssens AM, Offner FC, Van Hove WZ. Bone marrow necrosis. Cancer
2000;88:1769-80.
2. Cowan JD, Rubin RN, Kies MS, Cerezo L. Bone marrow necrosis. Cancer
1980;46:2168-71.
3. Shafi q M, Ali N. Bone marrow necrosis - initial presentation in sickle cell
anemia. Am J Case Rep 2013;14:416-8.
4. Al-Gwaiz LA. Bone marrow necrosis. Ann Saudi Med 1997;17:374-6.
5. Paydas S, Ergin M, Baslamisli F, Yavuz S, Zorludemir S, Sahin B, et al.
Bone marrow necrosis: Clinicopathologic analysis of 20 cases and review
of the literature. Am J Hematol 2002;70:300-5.
6. Lee JL, Lee JH, Kim MK, Cho HS, Bae YK, Cho KH, et al. A case of
bone marrow necrosis with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura as a
manifestation of occult colon cancer. Jpn J Clin Oncol 2004;34:476-80.
7. Devi K, Patnaik L, Chakravorty S, Mishra K, Mohanty GN. Bone marrow
necrosis in paediatric patients. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2000;43:47-50.
8. Santana AN, Ramos RG, Zanandrea EF, Brandão-Neto RA. Bone
marrow necrosis successfully treated with corticosteroid. Eur J Haematol
2005;74:75-6.