Cramer Lara, Brix Anke, Matin Ekatrina, Rühli Frank, Hussein Kais
Institute of Pathology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH), Hannover, Germany.
Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Curr Probl Diagn Radiol. 2018 Jul-Aug;47(4):225-232. doi: 10.1067/j.cpradiol.2017.06.012. Epub 2017 Jun 8.
Computed tomography (CT)-based analyses of mummies have been performed since the 1970s but, until now, no systematic summary of PubMed®-published data has been performed. The aim was to perform a systematic review of previously published cases and summarize artificial changes and detectable paleopathologies.
Data collection from publications on CT analyses of mummies from ancient Egypt until the Greco-Roman period (up to 700 ad) from the PubMed® database (1973-2013) and descriptive data analysis.
Forty-seven publications on CT-based analyses have been identified, which reported on 189 mummies. Commonly reported artificial changes were destruction of the nasal bone and left-sided lateral abdominal incision for removal of inner organs. Dental and jaw pathologies (n = 42), chronic degenerative changes of skeletal bones (n = 39), and arteriosclerosis (n = 36) were reported in a subfraction of cases while traumatic fractures (n = 16) and other diseases were less often identified. The cause of death was rarely detectable by CT, but a cut through the throat, arrowheads, and bone fracture could be verified by CT.
Standards in documentation of CT devices have changed over the past 40 years, and insufficient documentation limits the interpretation of findings. In ancient Egyptian mummies, most organs have been removed during the mummification process while teeth and jaws are often preserved. Dental pathologies were frequent in ancient Egypt and can indicate personal circumstances and diet. The cause of death is rarely verifiable, but CT scan could be the clue. Although well known in Egyptian mummies, artificial changes may lead to misinterpretation of CT findings.
自20世纪70年代起就已开展基于计算机断层扫描（CT）的木乃伊分析，但截至目前，尚未对PubMed®上发表的数据进行系统总结。本研究旨在对既往发表的病例进行系统综述，并总结人为改变和可检测到的古病理学情况。
从PubMed®数据库（1973 - 2013年）收集关于古埃及至希腊罗马时期（公元700年以前）木乃伊CT分析的出版物数据，并进行描述性数据分析。
已识别出47篇关于基于CT分析的出版物，共报道了189具木乃伊。常见的人为改变包括鼻骨破坏和左侧腹部外侧切口以取出内脏器官。部分病例报告了牙齿和颌骨病变（n = 42）、骨骼的慢性退行性改变（n = 39）以及动脉硬化（n = 36），而创伤性骨折（n = 16）和其他疾病较少被发现。CT很少能检测到死亡原因，但通过CT可证实咽喉切割伤、箭头和骨折情况。
在过去40年里，CT设备的记录标准发生了变化，记录不充分限制了对研究结果的解读。在古埃及木乃伊中，大多数器官在木乃伊制作过程中已被取出，而牙齿和颌骨通常得以保留。古埃及牙齿病变很常见，可反映个人情况和饮食。死亡原因很少能得到证实，但CT扫描可能是线索。尽管在埃及木乃伊中很常见，但人为改变可能导致对CT结果的错误解读。
