In patients with softer bones (e.g., infants and osteopenic patients), it is not uncommon for the contamination to come from bone marrow found inside the softened spinous process that was penetrated inadvertently during the procedure. When this occurs, any or all cell types found within the bone marrow can be present in the cytospin.
The image on this page contains early nucleated RBC and WBC precursors, typical of contamination with bone marrow.
