Izzetti Rossana, Gaeta Raffaele, Caramella Davide, Giuffra Valentina
Department of Translational Research and of New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Italy.
Division of Paleopathology, Department of Translational Research and of New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Italy.
Homo. 2020 Feb 13;71(1):63-72. doi: 10.1127/homo/2020/1063.
Paleopathology and anthropology are fields of research which have benefited from the use of diagnostic imaging since its introduction in the clinical setting. The deriving discipline, that is, paleoimaging, has effectively employed several diagnostic techniques. However, while Multi-Slice Computed Tomography (MSCT) has found its role in paleoimaging, Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), despite its several advantages with regard to MSCT, is still struggling to find a clear position in this field. The aim of our study is to evaluate the possible advantages CBCT could bring to paleoimaging. We describe the characteristics and role of CBCT in clinical applications, in forensic and legal medicine, and in paleopathology. We report the study of an ancient mandible by means of CBCT and MSCT, in order to compare the quality of the images in terms of spatial resolution. CBCT allows to obtain good quality images of mineralized tissues. Moreover, the possibility of imaging metallic manufacts makes the technique suitable for the study not only of bony remains, but also of museum and archaeological artifacts. Our study highlights the strengths of CBCT as a valid imaging technique for the study of ancient bone remains and manufacts. A revision of the current uses of CBCT is provided and gives insights into the possible role it can cover in bioarchaeological studies. Further evaluation is needed in terms of possible applications of this technique to paleopathology. We strongly encourage the use of CBCT in paleoimaging, and suggest a broader application of the technique to the study of archaeological samples.
自诊断成像技术引入临床以来，古病理学和人类学这两个研究领域从中受益。由此衍生出的学科，即古影像学，已经有效地应用了多种诊断技术。然而，尽管多层螺旋计算机断层扫描（MSCT）在古影像学中发挥了作用，但锥形束计算机断层扫描（CBCT）尽管相对于MSCT有诸多优势，在该领域仍难以找到明确的定位。我们研究的目的是评估CBCT可能给古影像学带来的优势。我们描述了CBCT在临床应用、法医学和法律医学以及古病理学中的特点和作用。我们报告了通过CBCT和MSCT对一块古代下颌骨的研究，以便在空间分辨率方面比较图像质量。CBCT能够获取矿化组织的高质量图像。此外，对金属制品进行成像的可能性使得该技术不仅适用于研究骨骼遗骸，还适用于研究博物馆文物和考古文物。我们的研究突出了CBCT作为研究古代骨骼遗骸和制品的有效成像技术的优势。本文对CBCT目前的应用进行了综述，并深入探讨了其在生物考古学研究中可能发挥的作用。就该技术在古病理学中的可能应用而言，还需要进一步评估。我们强烈鼓励在古影像学中使用CBCT，并建议将该技术更广泛地应用于考古样本的研究。
