Department of Animal and Human Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Eur J Paediatr Neurol. 2009 Nov;13(6):481-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ejpn.2008.11.007. Epub 2009 Jan 10.
This paper reports a paleopathological study of a severe neural tube defect in an ancient mummy, more specifically, a meningocele in an Egyptian infant from the XI dynasty (2100-1955B.C.). This is one of the most ancient cases of meningocele in mummified human remains described in paleopathological literature. Prehistoric and early historic examples of severe congenital defects of the vertebral column and neural tube are rare, because of the precarious preservation conditions of ancient human remains. Further, since the majority are only the skeletal remains, paleopathological and paleoepidemiological analysis based on the observation of bones is even more difficult. Hence, it is not easy to investigate this disease in the past in all its complexities and true diffusion. The case presented here is peculiar, since it concerns a mummy with almost all soft tissues preserved, thus allowing us to describe the defect in an infant. Only targeted, minimally invasive examinations were performed. An anthropological investigation with helical CT scan and histological analysis was used to diagnose the defect and identify post-mortem transformation processes. The analyses confirmed the diagnosis of meningocele in an approximately six-month-old infant.
本文报告了一例古代木乃伊中严重神经管缺陷的古病理学研究，更具体地说，是一例来自埃及十一王朝（公元前 2100-1955 年）婴儿的脑膜膨出。这是古病理学文献中描述的最古老的脑膜膨出病例之一。由于古代人类遗骸保存条件不稳定，史前和早期历史时期严重的脊柱和神经管先天性缺陷的例子很少。此外，由于大多数只是骨骼遗骸，基于骨骼观察的古病理学和古流行病学分析更加困难。因此，在过去，很难全面而真实地了解这种疾病的传播情况。这里提出的病例很特殊，因为它涉及一具几乎所有软组织都保存完好的木乃伊，从而使我们能够描述婴儿的缺陷。仅进行了有针对性的、微创的检查。采用螺旋 CT 扫描和组织学分析进行人类学调查，以诊断缺陷并确定死后转化过程。分析结果证实了这名大约六个月大的婴儿患有脑膜膨出的诊断。
