One of the most biologically active tissues in the human body is the bone marrow. Bones such as the pelvis, ribs, vertebrae and skull are formed on the inside by red marrow, tissue responsible for the formation of red blood cells and platelets. In contrast, the long bones like the femur in adults have yellow marrow, reserve, which at the moment is that the body needs, for example anemia, quickly becomes red. Sometimes, in cases like leukemia, to reverse the picture of the disease is necessary to use bone marrow transplantation, achieving a match. To do this, surgeons make a puncture in the area of the sternum and the donor marrow is removed, which is injected into the patient. On this basis, if the operation is successful and the patient does not generate antibodies, the picture gets reversed.
The most successful transplants are those made with autologous marrow, ie that the same type as that of the person concerned.
Sometimes doctors perform a transplant, ie using marrow extracted from the patient. This form is called an autologous transplant, and the likelihood of it being successful is very high.