1 Pediatric and Hematology Services of the U. S. Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland
Biopsy of the marrow of the posterior iliac crest with the Silverman needle is a simple and safe procedure in infants and children. Using this technique, accurate marrow evaluation has been possible in six instances of "dry tap," and in each case the marrow was abnormal.
Because of the ease of performance, with no more preparation than for ordinary marrow aspiration, and because of the rapidity with which a truly adequate marrow biopsy specimen can be made available for histologic study, we believe that the Silverman-needle biopsy is the method of choice for biopsy of time marrow in children.