Microcephaly and encephalocele are congenital conditions that are rarely observed in perinatal skeletal remains. This case report investigates the craniofacial features of an individual of 38 gestational weeks from the Collezione Antropologica LABANOF (CAL) skeletal collection for which the death certificate indicates microcephaly and encephalocele as the cause of death. Loss of normal morphology of the sphenoid, temporal, and maxillary bones was noted and described. The state of preservation of the skeleton hindered direct observation of the anomalies related to microcephaly, but features that can be ascribed to an encephalocele were found. However, the lesions observed could not be reliably related to the conditions reported in the death certificate, so an additional interpretation of the observed pathological signs was suggested, even though the bone changes are not specific enough to draw a definite diagnosis. Although the skeleton was not fully recovered, the remaining osseous elements provide relevant insights to the appearance of cranial anomalies in perinatal individuals. Moreover, these findings are helpful to bioarcheologists because of the dearth of reports that describe the skeletal changes that accompany these pathological conditions.
The challenging diagnosis of cranial congenital anomalies in a newborn from an Italian 20 th century documented skeletal collection / A. Palamenghi, L. Biehler Gomez, M. Mattia, L. Breda, C. Cattaneo. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY. - ISSN 1047-482X. - 31:2(2021), pp. 309-315. [10.1002/oa.2952]
The challenging diagnosis of cranial congenital anomalies in a newborn from an Italian 20 th century documented skeletal collection
A. Palamenghi
Primo
;L. BIEHLER GOMEZSecondo
;M. Mattia;C. CattaneoUltimo
2021
Abstract
Microcephaly and encephalocele are congenital conditions that are rarely observed in perinatal skeletal remains. This case report investigates the craniofacial features of an individual of 38 gestational weeks from the Collezione Antropologica LABANOF (CAL) skeletal collection for which the death certificate indicates microcephaly and encephalocele as the cause of death. Loss of normal morphology of the sphenoid, temporal, and maxillary bones was noted and described. The state of preservation of the skeleton hindered direct observation of the anomalies related to microcephaly, but features that can be ascribed to an encephalocele were found. However, the lesions observed could not be reliably related to the conditions reported in the death certificate, so an additional interpretation of the observed pathological signs was suggested, even though the bone changes are not specific enough to draw a definite diagnosis. Although the skeleton was not fully recovered, the remaining osseous elements provide relevant insights to the appearance of cranial anomalies in perinatal individuals. Moreover, these findings are helpful to bioarcheologists because of the dearth of reports that describe the skeletal changes that accompany these pathological conditions.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
Palamenghi et al. 2021 IJOA pdf_compressed.pdf
accesso riservato
Tipologia:
Publisher's version/PDF
Dimensione
294.76 kB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
294.76 kB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri Richiedi una copia |
Pubblicazioni consigliate
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.