Histologic findings in bone marrow biopsies of patients with thrombocythemic cell counts.
Histologic diagnoses from bone marrow biopsies were analyzed in a total of 1165 patients presenting with thrombocythemic platelet counts at initial examination. Two cut-off points suggested by the Polycythemia Vera Study Group to define thrombocythemia by platelet counts were compared: the former limiting value of 1000 x 10(9)/l platelets versus the recently proposed value of 600 x 10(9)/l. The percentage of all nonproliferative disorders was 41% under the lower, dropping to 11% under the high cut-off point. The respective figures for myeloproliferative disorders increased from 49% under the lower to 74% under the high limiting value. Primary thrombocythemia was included in 72% by the lower, and in only 40% by the high limiting value when classified by its histologic pattern in bone marrow biopsy. A striking decrease of platelet counts occurs, related to fiber increase, among each of three main groups of myeloproliferative disorders: in CML with megakaryocytic predominance from 40% down to 25%, in megakaryocytic-granulocytic myelosis (primary, i.e., agnogenic myelofibrosis) from 36.6% to 10%, and in primary thrombocythemia from 72.6% to 28.6% in cases with reticulin sclerosis.
Buhr
T
T
Pathologisches Institut, Medizinischen Hoschschule Hannover, Federal Republic of Germany.
Georgii
A
A
Schuppan
O
O
Amor
A
A
Kaloutsi
V
V
D001706:Biopsy; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology*; D002452:Cell Count; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000473:pathology; D009196:Myeloproliferative Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D010976:Platelet Count; D013920:Thrombocythemia, Essential / Q000473:pathology*