Table of ContentsView All
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Table of Contents
Is It Painful?
Its Goal
Before the Biopsy
Steps of the Biopsy
After the Biopsy
Negative Results
Positive Results
Although the name of the procedure may sound a bit nerve-racking, a bone marrow biopsy is a frequently performed and safe procedure.If blood levels are abnormal, or there is concern for certain types of cancer or bone marrow disorders, a bone marrow biopsy may be ordered.
During a bone marrow biopsy, a needle is inserted into a bone, usually in the hip area, and the marrow is drawn out. The marrow is then examined in the lab to see if it is functioning properly, or if any disease or infection is present.
This article will review the pain associated with a bone marrow biopsy and what test results may mean.
Bone Marrow Biopsy
What Is Bone Marrow?Thebone marrowis the tissue inside the bone where blood cells are made. The marrow makes white blood cells that help fight infection, red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body, and platelets that clot the blood to prevent bleeding.
What Is Bone Marrow?
Thebone marrowis the tissue inside the bone where blood cells are made. The marrow makes white blood cells that help fight infection, red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body, and platelets that clot the blood to prevent bleeding.
How Painful Is a Bone Marrow Biopsy?
A bone marrow biopsy can be an uncomfortable or painful procedure. The amount of pain can be different for each person, based on their pain tolerance and any anesthesia or sedation given for their procedure.
Controlling or preventing pain is an important step of the biopsy process, as the healthcare provider (typically a medical doctor) wants you to be as still as possible during the biopsy so it can be done as quickly and accurately as possible.
At a minimum,local anesthesiais given in the skin and tissue where the biopsy will be taken. This numbs the area. With this injection, there may be a burning sensation as the numbing medicine goes in.
Some doctors will offer the procedure with additional anesthesia. This usually is not the same anesthesia used for open surgery, but rather a type of anesthesia called conscious sedation. With it, medications to reduce anxiety and pain are given through an intravenous line (IV).
This type of sedation allows you to breathe on your own, and possibly even be awake during the biopsy. This type of sedation makes the procedure much more comfortable.
Coping With Anxiety and Anticipatory Pain
Techniques such asbreathing exercises,mindfulnessand distraction may be helpful in reducing pre-procedural anxiety.
Studies have evaluated using music,lavender scent,and virtual reality as nondrug distraction techniques in the biopsy process.
In one study, the use of virtual reality during bone marrow biopsy was compared to the use of nitrous oxide for sedation.Pain scores were the same between the two groups, showing the use of virtual reality could be safe and effective in reducing pain and anxiety without the need for medication.
Goal of Bone Marrow Biopsy
The goal of a bone marrow biopsy is to obtain bone marrow tissue for evaluation. It is used to look for a variety of conditions, often because of abnormal levels of white blood cells, red blood cells, or platelets. It can also be done to monitor treatment progress in conditions such asleukemiaorlymphoma.
Conditions Diagnosed Through Test
Some conditions that can be diagnosed through a bone marrow biopsy can include:
Before Your Bone Marrow Biopsy
The purpose is to sample bone marrow tissue along with a portion of bone. The procedure is usually about 30 minutes long.
The following is how a bone marrow biopsy is typically done:
After the Test (and When to Expect Results)
Once the procedure is over, you may have instructions to follow to ensure a successful and speedy recovery. Some common post-biopsy care includes:
After the biopsy, you’ll likely be given an appointment to follow up with your healthcare provider. This may be in a few days or weeks depending on how long the results are expected to take.
The needle insertion site should heal in about a week or so. If you have any concerns or questions about how you’re healing, you should call your healthcare provider to discuss this as soon as you can. Don’t wait for your appointment if something is going on sooner.
Negative Bone Marrow Biopsy Results
If the bone marrow results are negative, then the bone marrow didn’t have any significant findings with all of the testing that was done. This may mean that certain diseases were not found. It may also mean that the bone marrow is functioning normally.
If the biopsy was done as treatment surveillance for leukemia, a negative biopsy means that there is no evidence of disease.
A negative bone marrow biopsy result may come as a relief, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t still something going on, especially if the biopsy was done as part of a workup for symptoms you’ve been having.
Ask your provider if there are any other tests or procedures that may need to happen now that the results of the biopsy are known.
Positive Bone Marrow Biopsy Results
It’s important to remember that even if a biopsy result is positive for an abnormality, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have a poor prognosis. Many bone marrow disorders are treatable. Once you have the results, discuss them with your healthcare provider to learn what this diagnosis means, and what treatment plan is needed.
Summary
A bone marrow biopsy is a procedure in which the bone marrow and part of a bone are removed to evaluate for any abnormalities. This may be done as part of a workup for abnormal blood tests or an evaluation for cancer.
It can be a painful procedure, but medications and anesthesia may be used to reduce the pain. Results may take up to a few weeks, and should be reviewed with your healthcare provider.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gendron N, Chahabi SZ, Poenou G, et al.Pain assessment and factors influencing pain during bone marrow aspiration: a prospective study.PLOS ONE. 2019;14(8):e0221534. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0221534Tomasian A, Jennings JW.Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: techniques and practice implications.Skeletal Radiol. 2022;51(1):81-88. doi:10.1007/s00256-021-03882-wSchandert LC, Affronti ML, Prince MS, Schneider SM.Music intervention: nonpharmacologic method to reduce pain and anxiety in adult patients undergoing bone marrow procedures.Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2021;25(3):314-320. doi:10.1188/21.CJON.314-320Abbaszadeh R, Tabari F, Asadpour A.The effect of lavender aroma on anxiety of patients having bone marrow biopsy.Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2020;21(3):771-775. doi:10.31557/APJCP.2020.21.3.771Du KL, Septans AL, Maloisel F, et al.A new option for pain prevention using a therapeutic virtual reality solution for bone marrow biopsy (Reveh trial): open-label, randomized, multicenter, phase 3 study.Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2023;25(1):e38619. doi:10.2196/38619MedlinePlus.Bone marrow tests.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gendron N, Chahabi SZ, Poenou G, et al.Pain assessment and factors influencing pain during bone marrow aspiration: a prospective study.PLOS ONE. 2019;14(8):e0221534. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0221534Tomasian A, Jennings JW.Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: techniques and practice implications.Skeletal Radiol. 2022;51(1):81-88. doi:10.1007/s00256-021-03882-wSchandert LC, Affronti ML, Prince MS, Schneider SM.Music intervention: nonpharmacologic method to reduce pain and anxiety in adult patients undergoing bone marrow procedures.Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2021;25(3):314-320. doi:10.1188/21.CJON.314-320Abbaszadeh R, Tabari F, Asadpour A.The effect of lavender aroma on anxiety of patients having bone marrow biopsy.Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2020;21(3):771-775. doi:10.31557/APJCP.2020.21.3.771Du KL, Septans AL, Maloisel F, et al.A new option for pain prevention using a therapeutic virtual reality solution for bone marrow biopsy (Reveh trial): open-label, randomized, multicenter, phase 3 study.Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2023;25(1):e38619. doi:10.2196/38619MedlinePlus.Bone marrow tests.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Gendron N, Chahabi SZ, Poenou G, et al.Pain assessment and factors influencing pain during bone marrow aspiration: a prospective study.PLOS ONE. 2019;14(8):e0221534. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0221534Tomasian A, Jennings JW.Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: techniques and practice implications.Skeletal Radiol. 2022;51(1):81-88. doi:10.1007/s00256-021-03882-wSchandert LC, Affronti ML, Prince MS, Schneider SM.Music intervention: nonpharmacologic method to reduce pain and anxiety in adult patients undergoing bone marrow procedures.Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2021;25(3):314-320. doi:10.1188/21.CJON.314-320Abbaszadeh R, Tabari F, Asadpour A.The effect of lavender aroma on anxiety of patients having bone marrow biopsy.Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2020;21(3):771-775. doi:10.31557/APJCP.2020.21.3.771Du KL, Septans AL, Maloisel F, et al.A new option for pain prevention using a therapeutic virtual reality solution for bone marrow biopsy (Reveh trial): open-label, randomized, multicenter, phase 3 study.Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2023;25(1):e38619. doi:10.2196/38619MedlinePlus.Bone marrow tests.
Gendron N, Chahabi SZ, Poenou G, et al.Pain assessment and factors influencing pain during bone marrow aspiration: a prospective study.PLOS ONE. 2019;14(8):e0221534. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0221534
Tomasian A, Jennings JW.Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: techniques and practice implications.Skeletal Radiol. 2022;51(1):81-88. doi:10.1007/s00256-021-03882-w
Schandert LC, Affronti ML, Prince MS, Schneider SM.Music intervention: nonpharmacologic method to reduce pain and anxiety in adult patients undergoing bone marrow procedures.Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2021;25(3):314-320. doi:10.1188/21.CJON.314-320
Abbaszadeh R, Tabari F, Asadpour A.The effect of lavender aroma on anxiety of patients having bone marrow biopsy.Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2020;21(3):771-775. doi:10.31557/APJCP.2020.21.3.771
Du KL, Septans AL, Maloisel F, et al.A new option for pain prevention using a therapeutic virtual reality solution for bone marrow biopsy (Reveh trial): open-label, randomized, multicenter, phase 3 study.Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2023;25(1):e38619. doi:10.2196/38619
MedlinePlus.Bone marrow tests.
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