Revisiting diaphragmatic hernia of Joseon period Korean mummy by three-dimensional liver and heart segmentation and model reconstruction.

A three-dimensional (3D) segmentation and model reconstruction is a specialized tool to reveal spatial interrelationship between multiple internal organs by generating images without overlapping structures. This technique can also be applicable to mummy studies, but related reports have so far been very rare. In this study, we applied 3D segmentation and model reconstruction to computed tomography images of a Korean mummy with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. As originally revealed by the autopsy in 2013, the current 3D reconstruction reveals that the mummy's heart is shifted to the left due to the liver pushing up to thoracic cavity thorough diaphragmatic hernial defect. We can generate 3D images by calling up the data exclusively from mummy's target organs, thus minimizing the confusion of diagnosis that could be caused by overlapping organs.

A portrait drawing of the 17th century Korean scholar based on craniofacial reconstruction.

As a technique mainly hiring in forensic investigation field to identify the descents, craniofacial reconstruction (CFR) is also used in archaeology to create the faces from ancient or medieval human remains, when there is little information about his/her appearance. Eung-Cheok Ko (1531-1605) was a writer and scholar in the mid Joseon period. In January of 2019, His mummified body was found at Gumi, Kyeonsangbuk-do, Korea. The remains were anthropologically examined, and archaeological CFR was also requested for this case. This report reveals the case's facial reconstruction process and his portrait that is drawn based on the 3-dimensional CFR result.

Two Helminthic Cases of Human Mummy Remains from Joseon-Period Graves in Korea.

Our previous research on coprolite specimens from the mummies of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910 CE) has revealed various species of parasite eggs. Herein, we added 2 new helminthic cases of human remains from Joseon-period graves in the Republic of Korea (Korea). The organic materials precipitated on the hip bones of 2 half-mummied cases (Goryeong and Gwangmyeong cases) were collected, rehydrated, and examined by a microscope. In the sample from Goryeong-gun (gun=County), ova of Trichuris trichiura, Clonorchis sinensis, and Metagonimus spp. were detected, and eggs of T. trichiura and A. lumbricoides were found from the sample of Gwangmyeong-si (si=City). By adding this outcome to the existing data pool, we confirm our previous estimates of Joseon-period parasite infection rates. The overall rates of A. lumbricoides, T. trichiura, and C. sinensis decreased dramatically from Joseon to the modern period. In Goryeong mummy specimen, we also found Metagonimus spp. eggs that has rarely been detected in archaeological samples so far.

Post-factum autopsy to confirm cardiac structures visible on computed tomography images of Korean mummies: the radiological basis of paleo-cardiology.

Accurate interpretation of radiological data is important for reliable paleopathological study of mummies. This is especially true for the mummified heart, an anatomically complicated organ that is distorted and displaced due to long-term dehydration and the action of gravity. In the present study, we compared post-factum autopsy results for mummified hearts of differing preservation statuses with corresponding radiological (computed tomography [CT]-image) findings in order to obtain information necessary for accurate radiological diagnosis. We found that the valvular apparatus (especially the aortic valve and chordae tendinae) was easily distinguishable on the CT images of mummies in which more cardiac structures were preserved. We also identified several situations that are known to incur misdiagnosis of cardiac CT images: the presence of pseudo-cavities in the cardiac wall, confusion of the valvular apparatus with cardiac-wall debris, and invisibility of cardiac structures on CT images due to collapse or adhesion. While acknowledging the merits of top-priority CT scanning in non-invasive research, post-factum autopsy also has value as a complementary and confirmatory analysis for enhanced accuracy of diagnoses in paleo-radiological studies.

Calcified Pulmonary Nodules Identified in a 350-Year-Old-Joseon Mummy: the First Report on Ancient Pulmonary Tuberculosis from Archaeologically Obtained Pre-modern Korean Samples.

We found calcified pulmonary nodules in a middle-aged female mummy discovered from 350-yr-old Joseon tomb of Korea. In the CT scan, we found six radiopaque nodules in right lung, through the levels of thoracic vertebrae 1 to 6. We also found presumptive pleural adhesions in right thoracic cavity of CT images. We re-confirmed radiological findings by our post-factum dissection on the same mummy. By the differential diagnosis, we speculate that the radiopaque calcification nodules and associated pleural adhesion could have been caused by tuberculosis. This is the first-ever report on the pulmonary tuberculosis identified in archaeologically obtained, pre-modern Korean samples.

Radiological diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in 17th century Korean mummy.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a birth defect of the diaphragm resulting in pulmonary sequelae that threaten the lives of infants. In computed tomography (CT) images of a 17th century middle-aged male mummy (the Andong mummy), we observed that the abdominal contents had protruded into the right thoracic cavity through the diaphragmatic defect, accompanied by a mediastinal shift to the left. On autopsy, the defect in the right posterolateral aspect of the diaphragm was reconfirmed, as was the herniation of the abdominal organs. The herniated contents included the right lobe of the liver, the pyloric part of the stomach, a part of the greater omentum, and the right colic flexure connecting the superior part of the ascending colon and the right part of the transverse colon. Taking our CT and autopsy results together, this case was diagnosed as the Bochdalek-type CDH. Herein we make the first ever report of a CT-assisted diagnosis of a pre-modern historical case of CDH. Our results show the promising utility of this modality in investigations of mummified human remains archaeologically obtained.