A kidney’s ingenious path to trimillennar preservation: Renal tuberculosis in an Egyptian mummy? (original) (raw)
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The challenging mission of paleopathologists is to be capable to diagnose a disease just on the basis of limited information gained by means of one or more paleodiagnostic techniques. In this study a radiologic, anthropologic and paleopathologic analysis of an ancient Egyptian mummy through X-rays, CT and MR was conducted. An Ancient Egyptian mummy (»Mistress of the house«, Archeological Museum, Zagreb, Croatia) underwent digital radiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging employing 3-dimensional ultra-short-echo time (UTE) sequence, that allows to image ancient dry tissue. Morphological observations on the skull and pelvis, the stages of epiphyseal union and dental wear indicated that the remains are those of a young adult male. Multiple osseous lytic lesions were observed throughout the spine as well as on the frontal, parietal, and occipital bone, orbital wall and the sella turcica of the sphenoid. Considering the sex and age of the individual and the features of the lesions, the authors propose the diagnosis of Hand-Schueller-Christian's disease. This is the first study to have effectively used MR images in the differential diagnosis of a disease. It also confirmed the CT value in revealing central nervous system involvement just by detecting skeletal lesions. Although the mummy was previously dated to 3rd century B.C. based on the properties of the sarcophagi, the sex of the mummy suggests that it was most probably transferred into these sarcophagi in later times. The mummification techniques used and radiometric data (C14) dated it to 900-790. B.C.
Evidence of probable tuberculosis in Lithuanian mummies
Tuberculosis has affected Europe for millennia and continues to be a burden upon modern society. It is estimated that one-third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of this condition. Despite the introduction of control strategies, the disease continues to be one of the most common causes of death globally. Within the framework of the Lithuanian Mummy Project, seven spontaneously mummified human bodies from a church crypt in Vilnius, dating from the 18th and 19th century, were CT-scanned to assess the presence of tuberculosis or other lung diseases. We encountered pulmonary lesions suggestive of cases of pulmonary tuberculosis. In addition, one case might have been affected by extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. This report replicates the image findings from previous studies on ancient mummies that provided evidence of tuberculosis in soft tissues, thus helping reconstruct the history of this disease over time.
Multiple Bone Tuberculosis in a Child From Predynastic Upper Egypt (3200 BC) H.
Tuberculosis, one of the most ancient human diseases, was present in ancient Egypt and has been observed since predynastic times. Excavations in the predynastic to early dynastic necropolis of Adaima, Upper Egypt (3500–2700 BC) led to the discovery of a number of remarkably well-preserved skeletons of children. The skeletal remains of a 4.5–5-year-old child dated from Nagada III A2 (3200–3100 BC) displayed various lesions on the post-cranial skeleton: spondylitis on the thoracic (T12) and lumbar (L1) vertebrae, partial lytic destruction of the right radio-ulnar joint, lytic lesions on the scapula and a clavicle, dactylitis on the short bones of hands and feet, enlargement (spina ventosa) and periosteal new bone formation on the long bones. Radiographs show well-defined radiolucent (cyst-like) lesions in the metaphysis and the diaphysis of long tubular bones (ulna, radius, femur, tibia, fibula). The lesions recorded during macroscopic and radiological analysis strongly suggest a case of multiple bone tuberculosis. The occurrence of this case of tuberculosis in a child provides a picture of a period where tuberculosis must have been endemic throughout the population living during the origins of urban settlement in Upper Egypt during the predynastic period. Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multifocal bone lesions in an ancient Egyptian child mummy
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2018
Ancient mummies are very valuable human remains especially for the study of the evolution of disease. Noninvasive imaging methods such as computed tomography and X-ray are the gold standard to study such precious remains. We report the case of an ancient Egyptian child mummy from the Musée d'art et d'histoire in Geneva, Switzerland with multifocal sclerotic bone lesions affecting the spine and the left hip. The mummy is of unknown provenance, dating to the Roman period with an estimated age of 4-5 years. An infectious origin of the lesions such as tuberculosis seems most likely. Also regarding the time period an infectious etiology is plausible, since there is evidence that tuberculosis was wide spread in ancient Egypt. However, multiple differential diagnoses are discussed, since the evaluation of disease in ancient remains is different to the clinical standards. Medical history and additional invasive investigations are lacking. Also the desiccation and mummification processes lead to alteration of the tissue resulting in anatomico-morphological distortions. Thus our hypothesis can not be proven and multiple differential diagnoses need to be taken into consideration in this rare case. 120 kV tube voltage, 198-475 mA X-ray Tube Current and 0,625 × 0.625-mm detector configuration. For post-processing including multi-planar reconstructions (MPR) and three-dimensional volume rendering (3D VR) reconstructions OsiriX-MD 64 bit (version
Multiple bone tuberculosis in a child from predynastic Upper Egypt (3200 BC)
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2010
Tuberculosis, one of the most ancient human diseases, was present in ancient Egypt and has been observed since predynastic times. Excavations in the predynastic to early dynastic necropolis of Adaima, Upper Egypt (3500-2700 BC) led to the discovery of a number of remarkably well-preserved skeletons of children. The skeletal remains of a 4.5-5-year-old child dated from Nagada III A2 (3200-3100 BC) displayed various lesions on the post-cranial skeleton: spondylitis on the thoracic (T12) and lumbar (L1) vertebrae, partial lytic destruction of the right radio-ulnar joint, lytic lesions on the scapula and a clavicle, dactylitis on the short bones of hands and feet, enlargement (spina ventosa) and periosteal new bone formation on the long bones. Radiographs show well-defined radiolucent (cyst-like) lesions in the metaphysis and the diaphysis of long tubular bones (ulna, radius, femur, tibia, fibula). The lesions recorded during macroscopic and radiological analysis strongly suggest a case of multiple bone tuberculosis. The occurrence of this case of tuberculosis in a child provides a picture of a period where tuberculosis must have been endemic throughout the population living during the origins of urban settlement in Upper Egypt during the predynastic period.
Scenes from the Past: Multidetector CT of Egyptian Mummies of the Redpath Museum
RadioGraphics, 2012
As a nondestructive method of historical and anthropologic inquiry, imaging has played an important role in mummy studies over the past several decades. Recent technologic advances have made multidetector computed tomography (CT) an especially useful means for deepening the present understanding of ancient cultures by examining preserved human remains. In April 2011, three ancient Egyptian human mummies from the Redpath Museum of McGill University were examined with 320-section multidetector CT as part of the IMPACT Radiological Mummy Database project headquartered at the University of Western Ontario. Whole-body scanning was performed with a section thickness of 0.5 mm and a peak voltage of 120 kVp, and the raw CT datasets were postprocessed by using smooth body and high-resolution bone convolution filters. Two of the mummies were scanned at different energy levels (80 and 135 keV). The high-resolution CT scans revealed the details of mummification and allowed observations about the socioeconomic and health status of the human subjects based on both the mummification technique used and the appearance of the remains, particularly the bones and teeth. The paleopathologic information obtained from the scans confirmed some findings in studies performed in the same mummies in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The CT scans also demonstrated a high degree of variability in Egyptian mortuary practice, variability that is not generally recognized in the literature. Unusual features that were observed included a relatively uncommon retained heart in mummy RM2718, retained lungs in a mummy from which the heart had been extracted (RM2720), and a cartonnage plaque placed over the left abdomen of a mummy that had been eviscerated transperineally (RM2717). © RSNA, 2012 •
Egyptian Mummies and Radiology: A Closer Link
Yearbook of Mummy Studies 2011 (1): 37-44, 2011
Mummification was abolished in the seventh century AD. After that date, mummies began to capture the collective imagination, creating a mysterious fascination that still continues today. From the beginning, the radiological study of Egyptian mummies allowed the collection of medical, as well as anthropological and archaeological, evidence. Shortly after the discovery of X-rays in 1895, Petrie performed one of the first radiological studies of an Egyptian mummy. By the end of the 1970s, computed tomography (CT) scanning permitted more in-depth studies to be carried out. From CT images it is possible to obtain a three-dimensional reconstruction of the mummy which provides important new information, also thanks to virtual endoscopic technique known as 'fly-through'. Moreover, starting from CT data and using graphic software, an image of the face of the mummified individual at the time of death can now be reconstructed. The history of imaging, from the simplest to the most sophisticated technique, allows the appreciation of the importance of radiological studies of Egyptian mummies.