INTRAOSSEOUS COMPARED TO INTRAVENOUS-INFUSION OF ALLOGENEIC BONE-MARROW

Thirty-eight patients (greater than or equal to 18 years) receiving ma rrow transplants from HLA-identical or one antigen-mismatched related donors were randomized to intraosseous (i.o.) + intravenous (i.v.) (n = 10), i.o. (n = 8) or i.v. (n = 20) infusions of bone marrow, There w ere no significant differences in patient characteristics. PMN/I more than 0.5 x 10(9) occurred on days 19 (median), 20 and 18.5 in the i.o. + i.v., i.o. and i.v. groups, respectively, We found a significant re duction in the number of days on total parenteral nutrition (P = 0.03) and a tendency to a reduction in the number of days on antibiotics (P = 0.06) in the i.o. compared to the i.v. group, Bacteraemia did not o ccur in the i.o. group, but was seen in 30% of the i.v. group (NS), Th e incidences of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, transplan tation-related mortality, relapse and patient survival rates were simi lar in the three groups, Five patients examined with bone marrow scint igraphy showed the same distribution of granulocytes in the bone marro w directly after transplantation and 3 weeks after transplantation, wh ether the bone marrow was given by the i.o. or by the i.v. route, We c onclude that allogeneic bone marrow transplantation can safely be perf ormed by i.o. infusion, but haematopoietic recovery is not improved.