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Diagnostic imaging of Mummified Soft tissue: Pathologies, Pitfalls and Perspectives
Author(s) -
Ruhli Frank J
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.297.4
Subject(s) - soft tissue , modalities , medicine , computed tomography , pathology , radiology , social science , sociology
Ancient mummified remains are a unique source to learn not only about the past but also for the present. Such tissue‐based historic information can contribute substantially to the understanding of ongoing interactions e.g. between mankind and environment as echoed e.g. by alterations in prevalence and morbidity of disease. Since the very initial attempts of diagnostic imaging of such unique samples in the late 1890's, technological evolutions were tremendous and nowadays particularly radiological techniques allow more than ever non‐ and minimal invasive diagnostic analyses of ancient soft and hard tissue. Based on our own experience by using state‐of‐the‐art imaging modalities such as MSCT, Micro‐CT, or MRI, major technological pitfalls such as restrictions in sample size or low specifity of spatial tissue discrimination in ancient mummies will be addressed. Future imaging modalities such as DECT or THz will been addressed briefly too. Examples of disease we found in the soft‐tissue compartments of ancient mummified remains include e.g. severe atherosclerosis in ancient Egyptian mummies or the laceration of a major vessel with subsequent lethal bleeding in the Neolithic South Tyrolean Iceman (“Ötzi”).