Cytochemistry - bone marrow or blood
Last updated: Thursday, 01, April, 2004
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| Item | Process |
|---|---|
| Specimen | Bone marrow aspirate and/or 5 mL blood in EDTA. |
| Method | Appropriate cytochemical methods are selected by the pathologist on the basis of the haematological and clinical features. Specific cytochemical methods available include acid phosphatase (± tartaric acid), specific and non-specific esterases, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), Sudan black, myeloperoxidase, lysozyme. |
| Application | Differentiation between the various acute leukaemias and between the lymphoproliferative disorders. |
| Interpretation | Cytochemistry contributed to the classification of acute leukaemia and lymphoproliferative disorders. However, the use of immunoperoxidase stains and immunophenotyping studies have largely replaced the traditional cytochemistry techniques. See Cell Immunophenotyping. |
| Reference | Scott CS ed. Leukaemia Cytochemistry - Principles and Practice. Horwood Ltd 1989. |