ABSTRACT
An evaluation of the bone marrow, as cited previously, is typically accomplished by a cytologic examination of a Romanowsky type dyestained dry film smear of an aspirated sample of hemopoietic marrow. It is ideally performed with a prior morphologic evaluation of a concurrently obtained stained smear of the peripheral blood and a hemogram. The estimation of the myeloid:erythroid ratio of the marrow, addressed in detail in an early segment of the text, is an integral part of the evaluation of the smear. Core biopsy specimens of bone marrow are obtained less frequently than aspiration biopsies. The quantitative and morphologic profile of the erythroid precursors in the bone marrow is frequently diagnostic of or consistent with certain specific hemopoietic conditions. Depending on the duration of the malignant process, the bone marrow of erythroleukemia presents some to vast numbers of normal appearing, very immature erythroblasts that fail to mature.
