BMT

BMT bone marrow transplantation.

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BMT,

n.pr See bone marrow transplant.

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BMT

Bone marrow transplant, see there

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Patient discussion about BMT.

Q. What is a bone marrow transplant? I wanted to enter myself as a potential bone marrow donor and wanted to know first of all what bone marrow is? What does a bone marrow transplant mean and how is it done?

A. Bone marrow is a soft, fatty tissue inside the bones. This is where blood cells are produced, and where they develop. Transplanted bone marrow will restore production of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Donated bone marrow must match the patient's tissue type. It can be taken from the patient, a living relative (usually a brother or a sister), or from an unrelated donor. Donors are matched through special blood tests called HLA tissue typing. Bone marrow is taken from the donor in the operating room while the donor is unconscious and pain-free (under general anesthesia). Some of the donor's bone marrow is removed from the top of the hip bone. The bone marrow is filtered, treated, and transplanted immediately or frozen and stored for later use. Transplant marrow is transfused into the patient through a vein (IV) and is naturally carried into the bone cavities where it grows to replace the old bone marrow.