Bone marrow examination in cases of pancytopenia

Background: Pancytopenia is a relatively common hematological entity. This study was undertaken to find out the various causes of pancytopenia by bone marrow examination of patients admitted to New civil hospital, Surat, Gujarat, India.Methods: This was a prospective study carried out to identify the causes of pancytopenia based on bone marrow examination. Bone marrow examinations were performed in 144 cases for different indications over a period of one year 2015, out of which 40 cases have fulfilled the criteria of pancytopenia.Results: Total 40 cases of pancytopenia were examined during period of one year. The commonest cause of pancytopenia was megaloblastic anemia (35%) followed by aplastic anemia (32.5%). other cause includes acute leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and round cell tumor.Conclusions: Bone marrow aspiration coupled with trephine biopsy can diagnosed majority cases of pancytopenia. Megaloblastic anemia and aplastic anemia are the commonest causes of pancytopenia. A comprehensive clinical and hematological study of patients with pancytopenia will help in the identification of underlying cause.