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Macroscopic and radiological aspects of tumors of the skull in ancient Egyptians — (Part I)

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Human Evolution

Abstract

The present investigations can be considered as a contribution to the differential diagnosis of pathologically caused lesions of the skull in ancient Egyptians. Two combined osteolytic-osteosclerotic and two purely osteolytic processes have been examined macroscopically and radiologically. Thereby it has been attempted to produce an excessive limitation of the pathological changes as far as this is possible in archeologic material without cell pathology and the clinical record. The cases associated with new bone formation are most likely concerned with a meningioma with probable sarcomatous tendency (case 2) as well as, most probably, a cavernous haemangioma/osteoangioma (case 1), although a parasagittal meningioma should not be excluded in differential diagnosis. In one case (case 3) the cause of the osteolysis could have been metastasis of a primary malignant tumor located in the pharyngeal region (nasopharyngeal carcinoma), in the other possibly an haemangioma/osteoangioma with differential diagnosis of eosinophilic granuloma, solitary plasmocytoma and osteolytic metastasis) (case 4).

In Part II (in preparation) the gross examination will be completed by a description of the histopathology of the specimen, obtained through application of SEM and microradiographic analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Anthropology and Human Genetics, University of Tübingen, Germany

    W. M. Pahl

  2. Department of Radiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    W. M. Pahl

  3. Department of Anatomy Kasr El-Aini School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    E. Asaad

  4. Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    N. Y. Khattar & M. El-Meligy

Authors
  1. W. M. Pahl
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  2. E. Asaad
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  3. N. Y. Khattar
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  4. M. El-Meligy
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Additional information

Presented in abstracts at the 5th European Meeting of the Paleopathology Association in Siena, Italy, 1984.

Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

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Pahl, W.M., Asaad, E., Khattar, N.Y. et al. Macroscopic and radiological aspects of tumors of the skull in ancient Egyptians — (Part I). Hum. Evol. 2, 329–363 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02436496

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02436496

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