Role of bone marrow imprint in cases of dry tap: A study in a tertiary care center in Eastern India

Abstract

Background: Bone marrow examination that is aspirate, imprint, and biopsy is important and essential in work up of hematological and non-hematological disorders; however, in cases of dry tap, imprint is required for diagnosis and interpretation of biopsy as it provides fine cellular details. Aim and Objectives: The aim of this study was to know the role of bone marrow imprint in cases of dry tap. Materials and Methods: This was a 2½ years retrospective study done on cases presenting with dry tap, in which aspirate, imprint, and biopsy were all performed. Bone marrow aspirates and touch imprints were stained by Leishman’s stain and biopsies were fixed with 10% neutral formalin and slides were stained with hematoxylin/eosin and reticulin stain. Results: Correlation between biopsy and imprint for diagnosis was 69.04% and most common diagnosis on imprint was aplastic anemia followed by acute leukemia. Conclusion: In majority of cases of dry tap, bone marrow imprint was informative and should always be included in bone marrow examination particularly in cases of dry tap.