Preservation of the heart in ancient Egyptian mummies: A computed tomography investigation with focus on the myocardium.

Autor: Panzer S; Department of Radiology, Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallklinik Murnau, Murnau, Germany.; Institute of Biomechanics, Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallklinik Murnau, Murnau, Germany and Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria., Paladin A; Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy., Zesch S; German Mummy Project, Mannheim, Germany., Rosendahl W; German Mummy Project, Mannheim, Germany., Augat P; Institute of Biomechanics, Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallklinik Murnau, Murnau, Germany and Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria., Thompson RC; Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA., Miyamoto MI; Division of Cardiology, Mission Heritage Medical Group, Providence Health, Mission Viejo, California, USA., Sutherland ML; Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, MemorialCare Health System, Laguna Hills, California, USA., Allam AH; Department of Cardiology, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt., Wann LS; Division of Cardiology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA., Sutherland JD; Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, MemorialCare Health System, Laguna Hills, California, USA., Rowan CJ; Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA., Michalik DE; Department of Pediatrics, Irvine School of Medicine, University of California, Orange, California, USA., Hergan K; Department of Radiology, University Hospital Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria., Zink AR; Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy.; Department of Biology II, Anthropology, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Clinical anatomy (New York, N.Y.) [Clin Anat] 2024 Jul; Vol. 37 (5), pp. 587-601. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Apr 02.
DOI: 10.1002/ca.24151
Abstrakt: The ancient Egyptians considered the heart to be the most important organ. The belief that the heart remained in the body is widespread in the archeological and paleopathological literature. The purpose of this study was to perform an overview of the preserved intrathoracic structures and thoracic and abdominal cavity filling, and to determine the prevalence and computed tomography (CT) characteristics of the myocardium in the preserved hearts of ancient Egyptian mummies. Whole-body CT examinations of 45 ancient Egyptian mummies (23 mummies from the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Berlin, Germany, and 22 mummies from the Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy) were systematically assessed for preserved intrathoracic soft tissues including various anatomical components of the heart (pericardium, interventricular septum, four chambers, myocardium, valves). Additionally, evidence of evisceration and cavity filling was documented. In cases with identifiable myocardium, quantitative (measurements of thickness and density) and qualitative (description of the structure) assessment of the myocardial tissue was carried out. Heart structure was identified in 28 mummies (62%). In 33 mummies, CT findings demonstrated evisceration, with subsequent cavity filling in all but one case. Preserved myocardium was identified in nine mummies (five male, four female) as a mostly homogeneous, shrunken structure. The posterior wall of the myocardium had a mean maximum thickness of 3.6 mm (range 1.4-6.6 mm) and a mean minimum thickness of 1.0 mm (range 0.5-1.7 mm). The mean Hounsfield units (HU) of the myocardium at the posterior wall was 61 (range, 185-305). There was a strong correlation between the HU of the posterior wall of the myocardium and the mean HU of the muscles at the dorsal humerus (R = 0.77; p = 0.02). In two cases, there were postmortem changes in the myocardium, most probably due to insect infestation. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the myocardium systematically on CT scans of ancient Egyptian mummies. Strong correlations between the densities of the myocardium and skeletal muscle indicated similar postmortem changes of the respective musculature during the mummification process within individual mummies. The distinct postmortem shrinking of the myocardium and the collapse of the left ventriclular cavity in several cases did not allow for paleopathological diagnoses such as myocardial scarring.
(© 2024 American Association of Clinical Anatomists and British Association of Clinical Anatomists.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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