[A histopathological study of bone marrow in acute myeloid leukemia. Bone marrow biopsy changes before chemotherapy and comparison with bone marrow smears].

Histopathological changes of pretreatment bone marrow biopsy from 42 cases with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were described. A considerable difference was shown between the results of aspirate smears and the findings of plastic embedded biopsy sections, particularly in bone marrow cellularity such as infiltration of inflammatory cells and presence of residual hemopoietic cells, qualitative and quantitative abnormalities of megakaryocytes suggestive of myelodysplastic features were more accurately assessed in the sections of marrow biopsy than in the aspirate smears. In three cases there was considerable infiltration of maturing but dysplastic granulocytic cells and erythroid precursors in the sections, but not in the aspirate smears. Our study shows that plastic embedded biopsy sections provide more information than aspiration smears for the diagnosis of AML.