ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This paper presents the differential diagnosis of a calcified mass found in the pelvic cavity of an adult male dating to the 10th century AD. MATERIALS: Skeletal remains of an adult male exhumed from the cemetery associated with the early medieval church of Riner (Solsonès, Catalonia). METHODS: The structure and composition of the mass were examined by x-ray imaging, microscopic stereoscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry analysis. RESULTS: The examination reveals a light brown kidney-shaped calcification with well-defined margins, irregular hypodense zones, and several thin concentric layers. The obtained spectra showed a mixture of carbonate apatite (with a high level of carbonation) and calcite in all the sections studied. CONCLUSION: The calcification most likely corresponds to a urinary calculus of infectious origin. SIGNIFICANCE: Given the insights that urinary calculi can provide towards understanding consequences of infection and environmental conditions, this case will be of interest to other researchers wishing to initiate comparative analyses. LIMITATIONS: The discussion of the etiology of the stone is limited by the lack of preservation of certain elements such as struvite.
Subject(s)
Urinary Calculi , Adult , Cemeteries , Humans , Male , Spain , StruviteABSTRACT
Although clinical atherosclerosis is fairly common, it is a surprisingly uncommon finding in anthropology. Several cases have been reported in the anthropological literature but most of them are referred to X-ray studies and to computerized tomographic imaging but, as far as we know, no macroscopic findings useful to anthropologists have been published before. We present a case of an adult male skeleton scattered on a wooded area with remains of partially mummified soft tissues between right tibia and fibula in which macroscopic findings showed a cylindrical structure that could be confused with a root or a branch. This cylindrical structure was diagnosed as an arterial segment and microscopic findings revealed calcified eccentric fibroatheromatosis. We hope this case will improve the knowledge of this macroscopic appearance and thus be useful to anthropologists.
Subject(s)
Nevus, Pigmented/congenital , Skin Neoplasms/congenital , Axilla , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neck , Nevus, Pigmented/pathology , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , Thoracic Injuries , Thorax , Wounds, GunshotABSTRACT
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Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Aged , Gallstones/complications , Embolism, Cholesterol/complications , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
No disponible