Bone marrow examination in pancytopenic patients

Pancytopenia refers to a reduction in all three formed elements of blood i.e. erythrocytes leukocytes and platelets. It is seen in both peripheral and bone marrow in most cases of bone marrow failure. The study of bone marrow failure or pancytopenia is traditionally dated to 1888 was provided by Paul Ehrlich under the ‘aplastische Anämia’ name from an autopsy of young white pregnant women who died about a month after the onset of an illness characterized by menorrhagia retinal hemorrhage and marked pallor associated with fever and ulcerated gum. At autopsy no active marrow was noted; hypocellular and fatty marrow were showed. As a pathologist Ehrlich attributed this to primary depression of marrow function. Pancytopenia results from a number of disease processes due to bone marrow failure. Pancytopenia is not a disease entity but triads of finding which makes the patient prone to anemic manifestations infections and bleeding tendency. These clinical consequences (anemia neutropenia and thrombocytopenia) depending on the degree and duration of their impairment can lead to serious illness and death.