McMaster University, Department of Anthropology, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada.
Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Richmond, VA, USA.
Int J Paleopathol. 2022 Dec;39:50-63. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.09.003. Epub 2022 Oct 8.
Although trauma is one of the most significant areas of study in paleopathology, most studies focus on fractures of single anatomical elements. Paleopathological research on regional trauma, such as of the thorax, is rare. This paper explores the causes, complications, and consequences of adult thoracic trauma using clinical data in order to inform paleopathological research.
Trends in paleopathological thoracic trauma literature were assessed by evaluating publications from Bioarchaeology International, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, International Journal of Paleopathology, and American Journal of Biological Anthropology. Clinical publications on thoracic trauma throughout time were also assessed through a PubMed search, and modern prevalence data was found through trauma databases such as the National Trauma Databank.
Consideration of thoracic trauma involving concomitant injuries is a recent trend in clinical literature and patient care, but paleopathological research on thoracic trauma has been limited. Since thoracic fractures tend to occur in conjunction with other injuries, assessing them together is critical to the interpretation of trauma in the past.
Clinical research into thoracic fractures and concomitant injuries provides valuable data for paleopathological research. Evaluating the likelihood and consequences of concomitant injury in skeletal remains provides a more robust understanding of trauma in the past and its impact on past lifeways.
This paper provides a review of current clinical and paleopathological literature on thoracic trauma and demonstrates the importance of moving beyond the analysis of fractures or trauma of single anatomical elements.
Thoracic bones are often taphonomically altered and differentially preserved leading to difficulty in identifying and interpreting fractures.
Practical application of the data presented here to archaeological samples will help to advance paleopathological understandings of thoracic trauma.
尽管创伤是古病理学中最重要的研究领域之一，但大多数研究都集中在单个解剖元素的骨折上。关于胸部等区域性创伤的古病理学研究很少。本文通过临床数据探讨了成人胸部创伤的原因、并发症和后果，以便为古病理学研究提供信息。
通过评估《生物考古学国际》、《国际骨骼考古学杂志》、《国际古病理学杂志》和《美国生物人类学杂志》上的出版物，评估古病理学胸部创伤文献中的趋势。还通过 PubMed 搜索评估了随时间推移的胸部创伤临床出版物，并通过国家创伤数据库等现代创伤数据库找到了现代流行数据。
考虑到涉及伴随伤的胸部创伤是临床文献和患者护理中的一个新趋势，但古病理学对胸部创伤的研究一直受到限制。由于胸部骨折往往与其他损伤同时发生，因此一起评估它们对于过去创伤的解释至关重要。
对胸部骨折和伴随伤的临床研究为古病理学研究提供了有价值的数据。评估骨骼遗骸中伴随伤的可能性和后果可以更全面地了解过去的创伤及其对过去生活方式的影响。
本文综述了当前关于胸部创伤的临床和古病理学文献，并表明超越单一解剖元素的骨折或创伤分析的重要性。
胸部骨骼经常受到埋藏学改变和差异保存，导致骨折的识别和解释困难。
将这里提出的数据实际应用于考古样本将有助于推进对胸部创伤的古病理学理解。
