Imaging Evaluation of Skull Trepanation Using Radiography and CT

Chege, Nancy; Sartoris, David J.; Tyson, Rose; Resnick, D

doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-1212(199606)6:3<249::aid-oa269>3.0.co;2-j

Cited by 17 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Consequently, such fractures may have occurred at an even higher prevalence among trepanned individuals. Altogether, the Cuzco results accord with other Andean studies attributing cranial trauma as a major reason for trepanation (MacCurdy, 1923;Chege et al, 1996;Verano, 1997Verano, , 2003b.…”

Section: Motivations For Trepanationsupporting

confidence: 89%

Prehistoric trepanation in the Cuzco region of Peru: A view into an ancient Andean practice

Andrushko

Verano

2008

American J Phys Anthropol

108

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In this study, patterns of prehistoric trepanation in the southern highlands of Peru were examined through an analysis of 11 Cuzco-region burial sites. Trepanations were found in 66 individuals, with several individuals exhibiting more than one trepanation, for a total of 109 perforations observed. The predominant methods used were circular cutting and scraping-methods that proved highly successful with an overall 83% survival rate and little ensuing infection. Survival rates showed a significant increase over time, apparently reflecting improvements in trepanation technique through experimentation and practical experience. Practitioners avoided certain areas of the cranium and employed methods that reduced the likelihood of damage to the cerebral meninges and venous sinuses. In many cases, trepanation as a medical treatment appears to have been prompted by cranial trauma, a finding that corroborates other studies pointing to cranial trauma as a primary motivation for the surgical procedure.

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Section: Motivations For Trepanationsupporting

confidence: 89%

Prehistoric trepanation in the Cuzco region of Peru: A view into an ancient Andean practice

Andrushko

Verano

2008

American J Phys Anthropol

108

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“…CT slices are reconstructed from a high number of projec-tions at different angles using a convolution back-projection algorithm. As an example, CT allows a more efficient analysis of new bone formations and vestiges of bone infection due to trephination than conventional radiography (Chege et al, 1996;Rü hli et al, 2002). In the last 30 years, the commercially available CT machines have improved remarkably in their ability to visualize and, therefore, help to interpret bone disorders.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diagnostic value of micro‐CT in comparison with histology in the qualitative assessment of historical human skull bone pathologies

Rühli

Kuhn

Evison

et al. 2007

American J Phys Anthropol

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Cases of pathologically changed bone might constitute a diagnostic pitfall and frequently need histological methods to be etiologically properly evaluated. With micro-computed tomography (microCT), a new epoch of 2D and 3D imaging has been launched. We evaluated the diagnostic investigation of this analytical method versus well established histological investigations of historical human bone. Pathological changes due to various etiologies (infectious, traumatic, endocrinological, neoplasia) observed in autopsy-based macerated human skulls (Galler Collection, Natural History Museum Basel, Switzerland) were investigated by microCT and compared with histological thin ground sections using polarized light. Micro-CT images visualize the architecture of the bone with high spatial resolution without preparation or destruction of the sample in the area to be sectioned. Changes in the bone surfaces as well as alterations of the diploë can be assessed. However, morphological patterns caused by reactive response, such as typical arrangements of collagen fibers, can only be visualized by the microscopic investigation of thin ground sections using polarized light. A great advantage of microCT is the high number of slices obtained so that spatial differences within the areas of the specimen become visible. Micro-CT is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of vestiges of skull bone diseases. Its advantages over histology are the fast, automated image acquisition and the fact that the specimen is not completely destroyed. Only excision of the area to be scanned is necessary, if the specimen is too large to be scanned as a whole. Further, the 3D visualization of the micro-architecture allows an easy orientation within the sample, for example, for the choice of the location of the histological slices. However, the need to differentiate woven from lamellar bone still makes histology an indispensable method.

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“…More detailed examination of the known cases of trephination, including the one described here, would also be useful, especially the use of microscopic and other visual imaging methods to recognize tool marks and bone alteration processes. 16 Similarly, the perforated skulls highlight some of the assumptions that have been made about the role of isolated and modi®ed human remains, without providing any de®nite resolution of these assumptions. Again, better contextual studies of Mesoamerican skeletal series should re®ne our models for the signi®cance of bone alteration and use.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The general scarcity of trephined skulls in Mesoamerica may be contrasted with Peru, where the operation was quite common and generally successful. 16 Most of the Oaxacan specimens are from the site of Monte Alba Ân. 1 There are now 15 trephined skulls known from that site.…”

Section: Other Cases Of Trephination In Mesoamericamentioning

confidence: 99%

Culturally modified skeletal remains from the site of Huamelulpan, Oaxaca, Mexico

Christensen

Winter

1997

Int. J. Osteoarchaeol.

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A series of crania from the site of Huamelulpan, Oaxaca, Mexico (400 BC to AD 800), were examined. Four showed notable cultural modifications. One exhibited a healed trephination, while the other three were perforated through the frontal. The cultural context and significance of these modifications is discussed, especially in relationship to the site of Monte Albán, where trephination was more common than anywhere else in Mesoamerica. The post‐mortem cranial perforations appear to be connected with the practice of ancestor veneration. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Imaging Evaluation of Skull Trepanation Using Radiography and CT

Cited by 17 publications

References 7 publications

Prehistoric trepanation in the Cuzco region of Peru: A view into an ancient Andean practice

Prehistoric trepanation in the Cuzco region of Peru: A view into an ancient Andean practice

Diagnostic value of micro‐CT in comparison with histology in the qualitative assessment of historical human skull bone pathologies

Culturally modified skeletal remains from the site of Huamelulpan, Oaxaca, Mexico

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