Your child's doctor may order one or more of the following tests to aid in the diagnosis of histiocytosis.
A bone marrow aspiration and biopsy usually takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Understandably, bone marrow aspirations may be frightening to you and your child. A local anesthetic is injected deep under the skin to numb the puncture site and takes effect quickly, helping to control the pain. Whenever possible, we give you the choice of having the procedure performed under general anesthesia.
A bone marrow biopsy is usually performed at the same site as the aspirate. Although the biopsy needle may look frightening, only a very small sample of the spongy bone marrow is removed, using a procedure similar to bone marrow aspiration. The difference is that a side-to-side motion of the needle is used to take out a small sample of the spongy bone marrow, which is the most painful part of the procedure.
Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.
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