Bone Marrow Sampling and Evaluation

Bone marrow sampling is a diagnostic technique that can be of great clinical value when used in the right cases. However, it is not a routine procedure and should only be carried out when the risks and benefits have been properly considered.

Basic pathophysiology
Post natally, the bone marrow becomes the major site of haematopoiesis. In young foals, almost all marrow is haematopoietically active while in adults, red marrow is found primarily in the epiphyses of long bones and in flat bones such as the skull, vertebrae, sternum, ribs and pelvis.

Bone marrow contains the progenitors of red and white blood cells in varying states of maturation. All blood cell progenitors stem from pluripotent stem cells. The progenitors develop into cells from the myeloid and lymphoid lineages. The myeloid lineage gives rise to megakaryocytes, erythrocytes, phagocytic cells and eosinophils while the lymphoid lineage gives rise to B and T cells. [...]