Bone Marrow Transplantation
Bone marrow is a tissue that has a spongy tissue inside the bones and contains blood-forming stem cells. These stem cells in the bone marrow multiply and change when needed and form blood cells.
Bone marrow transplant is also known as stem cell transplant and is performed as the procedure of transplanting the tissue taken from the patient himself or from someone else. In this sense, there are two types of bone marrow transplant. If the person’s own stem cells cannot be transplanted from him, it can also be done from an identical twin, or from a fully matched mother, father and sibling. Since the transfer is a very difficult process, it is essential that it is performed by an experienced and expert team. This stem cell transplant, which is seen as a definitive treatment method for many diseases that are very difficult to heal with medical treatments, can only be performed in special units.
Bone Marrow Transplant For Children
Stem cells play a major role in the development and regeneration of all tissues and organs in the body throughout life. Stem cells have many fucntions. They can multiply, divide, differentiate. The most important feature that distinguishes stem cells from other cells is that they can divide unlimitedly. Every system in the body has a unique stem cell, and when irreversible damage is taken, new cells can be produced with the help of these stem cells and can be used to heal damaged tissues. The period called childhood is the period that includes 18 years after birth. In this period, unlike adulthood, genetic diseases can be seen significantly. The incidence of these diseases is higher in countries where consanguineous marriages are common. In the treatment of these diseases, stem cells taken in childhood are used for
bone marrow transplantation.
How Bone Marrow Transplant is Performed?
Bone marrow transplant is the process of implanting healthy blood-forming stem cells into the body in order to replace the damaged marrow. In cases where the bone marrow is damaged or does not produce enough blood cells, a marrow transplant is required. These transplants are of two types, autologous and allogeneic. Cells taken from one’s own body are called autologous, while cells taken from someone else are called allogenic. During the transplant procedure, the patient is not drugged to sleep and it is a painless procedure.
