Bone marrow was originally the only source of stem cells for transplantation.
But for the past few years, stem cells from blood have also been used. The advantage for the donor is that general anaesthesia is not required for this procedure. Stem cells can also be harvested from the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies.
How is bone marrow harvested?
Painless under general anaesthesia
Harvesting bone marrow takes place under general anaesthesia. A variable quantity (usually 1 to a maximum of 1.5 litres) of a mixture of blood and bone marrow is aspirated using a needle. The marrow is taken from the bones of the pelvis (posterior wings of the ileum, sometimes the anterior iliac crest) and/or the breastbone. 1% to 5% of the donor’s total bone marrow is extracted.
Short stay in hospital
The donor is admitted to hospital on the day of the procedure and is discharged on the day after the harvest. For the first day or so, he will sometimes feel tired, nauseous and sleepy. There is often also stiffness at the site of the needle puncture.
During the month prior to the bone marrow harvest, up to three units of blood are collected from the donor. These units are re-administered during the harvesting procedure in order to compensate for the volume of bone marrow that was removed.