Differential diagnosis of carpal and tarsal ankylosis on dry bones: Example from the catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellinus (Rome, 1st–3rd century AD)

Severe erosive polyarthritis in a human skeleton dated to the early modern period of Japan

“…In addition, reactive arthritis (ReA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which are all classified under a somewhat more nonspecific name of SA, need to be considered as well (Ortner, 2003;Rothschild and Behnam, 2005;Buckley, 2007;Tokunaga and Kubo, 2008;Waldron, 2009;Kacki et al, 2013;Antunes-Ferreira et al, 2013).…”

“…However, we found the features of RA8 to be inappropriate because its description was "no bony ankylosis (except carpus)." It was clarified in recent studies that the carpals and other small bones of the hand develop ankylosis, but other joints (e.g., foot bones) are still considered to free of bony ankylosis (Belt et al, 2001;Ichikawa et al, 2012;Leden et al, 2012;Kacki et al, 2013). For this reason, we have modified RA8 to classify "no bony ankylosis (except hand bones)".…”

Epidemiology and Pathology

“…Joint diseases may be proliferative (osteo arthritis), resulting in new bone formation, or erosive (spondyloarthropathy), resulting in the loss of bone tissue, although in many cases a combination of the two processes occurs (Waldron 2008; Figure 29.2). a recent study evaluated the presence of ankylosis in the hands and feet of the skeleton of a man buried in the catacombs of Saints Peter and Marcellinus in rome (first-third centuries CE; Kacki et al 2013). Exhaustive differential diagnosis using radiography sug gested spondyloarthropathy as the possible etiology, and the condition apparently accompanied the man for a large part of his life, potentially restricting activity.…”

Differential diagnosis of a fused wrist with a partially destroyed capitate from Kazakhstan (1st–3rd century AD)

“…Carpal fusion is an occasional finding in the archaeological record (Aufderheide and Rodriguez-Martin, 1998;Isidro et al, 2015;Jurmain, 1988;Kacki et al, 2013;Paja, 2012;Smrčka et al, 2009;Waldron, 2009). It can be the result of many different diseases, sometimes interdependent, which makes its origin difficult to specify.…”

“…It can be the result of many different diseases, sometimes interdependent, which makes its origin difficult to specify. Differential diagnosis should include congenital diseases (Senecail et al, 2007;Singh et al, 2003), rheumatic diseases, such as spondylarthropathy (Kacki et al, 2013;Rothschild and Woods, 1991) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (Giuffra et al, 2009;Kaye et al, 1987;Kilgore, 1989;Leden et al, 2012;Maldonado-Cocco et al, 1980;Waldron, 2009), infectious diseases (Kotwal and Khan, 2009;Paja, 2012;Robins, 1967) and trauma (Gupta, 1998;Jurmain, 1988;Saffar, 1990). This adult male skeleton from the Kazakhian site of Mayemer (1st-3rd century AD) with carpal fusion of the right hand is a further case of this multifactorial pathological condition.…”