Pancytopenia

This peripheral blood picture is from an anemic patient with a low white cell count, and a low platelet count. A reduction in all the formed elements of the blood is called a 'pancytopenia'. It often indicates bone marrow failure, but can also occur from peripheral destruction of cells, as in hypersplenism. In this case, the bone marrow biopsy shows mostly fat, with very little hemopoiesis. This appearance is called 'aplasia', and is a rare, but important cause of marrow failure.

This is a trephine biopsy of bone marrow (an actual core is taken, and sectioned). In normal adults, about 50% of the space between the bone trabeculae should be made up of hemopoietic cells. Here, most of this space is fat, with very few cells.