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Mycobacterial culture of bone marrow How the Test is Performed:
A bone marrow aspiration or biopsy is performed. A sample of bone marrow is placed in a culture media specific for the tuberculosis bacterium and examined for growth at routine intervals.
How to Prepare:
You must sign an informed consent form. It is important to remain as still as possible during the test. There is no other special preparation.
Infants and children:
The physical and psychological preparation you can provide for this or any test or procedure depends on your child's age, interests, previous experience, and level of trust. For specific information regarding how you can prepare your child, see the following topics as they correspond to your child's age:
How it Feels:
The skin over the biopsy or aspiration site (usually the back of the hip or the sternum) will be cleansed. An anesthetic will be injected into the skin surrounding the site to numb the site. Even with the anesthetic, there may be pain or pressure as the bone marrow is removed.
Risks:
There is a slight risk of bleeding or infection from the test.
Why this Test is Performed:
The test is performed if infection of the bone marrow with tuberculosis is suspected.
Normal Values:
The bone marrow is normally sterile (no organisms are present).
Abnormal Results:
A tubercular infection of the bone marrow or disseminated tuberculosis .
Cost:
The estimated cost is $111.
Special Considerations:
Not applicable.
A small amount of bone marrow is removed during a bone marrow aspiration. The procedure is uncomfortable, but can be tolerated by both children and adults. The marrow can be studied to determine the cause of anemia, the presence of leukemia or other malignancy, or the presence of some "storage diseases" in which abnormal metabolic products are stored in certain bone marrow cells.
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