Abstract
In Paleopathology, total lack of a vertebral body is a rare finding, mostly due to infectious diseases or tumors. We report the case of an adult male from the necropolis next to “Temple of the Millions of Years” of Thutmose III dated to the Late Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period (2345–2055 BCE). He showed a fracture of T12, more than 50%, associated with the complete disappearance of the body of L1 and bilateral transverse process. Infection and tumor involvement were ruled out due to the morphology of the spinal segment. The most likely diagnosis was complete body agenesis. Congenital kyphosis related to vertebral agenesis has been described as a possibility in paleopathology, but it had not been reported until now.
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AI, ID-S, SL, RS: made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; drafted the work or revised it critically for important intellectual content; approved the version to be published; agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
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Isidro, A., Diez-Santacoloma, I., Loscos, S. et al. Congenital kyphosis due to a body agenesis from Ancient Egypt. Spine Deform 10, 197–199 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43390-021-00391-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43390-021-00391-7