Jamshidi needle Biopsy of the Sternal Bone Marrow.

After performing the sternal bone marrow aspiration in the usual manner, a small skin incision is made over the sternum with a scalpel. The Jamshidi needle is introduced at approximately a 90 degree angle in the middle of the sternum at the level of the 3^rd intercostal space. After a ”give” is felt, indicating that the needle has reached the bone marrow cavity, the tip of the needle is angled downwards at 45 degrees or less and with a clockwise - counterclockwise movement, the needle is advanced for 3 to 10 mm. After a slight change of angle aiming at “breaking” the distal attachment of the bone marrow piece, the needle is slowly withdrawn with the same rotatory movements. In no case did I feel that I had reached the inner table of the sternum. All patients were observed and examined 20 minutes and 24 hours after the procedure.

There were 22 inpatient and 15 outpatient procedures. The reasons that precluded the performance of the preferred posterior iliac crest bone marrow biopsy were: immobility in 17 patients, obesity in 13, prior radiation in 3 and other in 4. The final diagnosis was a malignant disorder in 17 patients (leukemia, lymphoma, myelodysplasia, plasma cell dyscrasia or metastatic cancer). All but one were new diagnoses. In 20 cases the final diagnosis was a benign hematological disorder or a non diagnostic bone marrow examination. In 9 occasions (mostly obese patients and patients with prior radiation therapy) a previous attempt at performing a posterior iliac crest biopsy had failed. The only complications were the development of a tumor nodule in the needle tract in one patient with an aggressive, Burkitt's type lymphoma and a small superficial hematoma in a patient with a highly vascular metastatic breast cancer.

The bone marrow core biopsy of the sternum, performed as described, in the hands of an experienced practitioner is a safe and helpful test in the evaluation of the bone marrow cytology, architecture and anatomy in selected patients in whom the performance of the preferred posterior iliac crest biopsy cannot be done.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.