Unexplained bone marrow granulomas: is amiodarone the culprit? A report of 2 cases.

Granulomas in the bone marrow are usually caused by infectious or hematological diseases, and drugs are only rarely implicated as causative agents. Recent reports have drawn attention to the role of amiodarone in the etiology of bone marrow granulomas. We report two cases of amiodarone-induced bone marrow granulomas in patients being investigated for refractory anemia and pancytopenia, respectively. Since both patients had life-threatening arrhythmias, discontinuation of the drug followed by rechallenge was not possible. Both patients did well in spite of continued amiodarone therapy, indicating that the underlying hematological illnesses were unrelated to the granulomas. Amiodarone should be considered as a possible cause of bone marrow granulomas after the exclusion of other causes. Continued use of amiodarone after granuloma formation must be dictated by the underlying cardiac condition. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.