title: Maximizing the diagnostic yield from bone marrow aspirate material using the cell block technique on clot sections.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Paraffin section of bone-marrow aspirate (clot section) is one of several components of bone marrow biopsy. Improper acquisition of aspirate material results in lack of diagnostic tissue and a waste of resources.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To detail a novel cell block method of aspirated marrow as a way to ensure maximum yield. This is of particular value when the material gathered via core biopsy is inadequate.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the cell block method to evaluate paraffin-embedded sections of hematopoietic tissue from bone marrow aspirate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The range of diagnoses possible from an adequate clot section parallels those from a comparable core biopsy. Examples of an adequate clot section include lesions assessed by routine hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, special and immunohistochemistry (IHC) stains, and molecular diagnostic studies such as fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A bone marrow clot section comprised of sinusoidal blood is inadequate for morphological interpretation and is a waste of resources. Hence, we recommend the cell block technique for procurement; this method ensures maximum capture of material needed to establish a diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA.
authors.forename: Menchu G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.affiliation: Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, Louisiana State University, Shreveport, LA.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lowery-Nordberg
authors.affiliation: Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center, Pinesville, LA.
authors.forename: Sudha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pillarisetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Veillon
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA jcotel@lsuhsc.edu.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cotelingam
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis*