Anatomical confirmation of computed tomography-based diagnosis of the atherosclerosis discovered in 17th century Korean mummy

In the present study on a newly discovered 17th century Korean mummy, computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple aortic calcifications within the aortic wall that were indicative of ancient atherosclerosis. The CT-based findings were confirmed by our subsequent post-factum dissection, which exhibite...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2015-03, Vol.10 (3), p.e0119474-e0119474
Main Authors: Kim, Myeung Ju, Kim, Yi-Suk, Oh, Chang Seok, Go, Jai-Hyang, Lee, In Sun, Park, Won-Kyu, Cho, Seok-Min, Kim, Soon-Kwan, Shin, Dong Hoon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
17th century
Abdominal Cavity - diagnostic imaging
Abdominal Cavity - pathology
Adult
Aorta
Aorta, Abdominal - diagnostic imaging
Aorta, Abdominal - pathology
Arteriosclerosis
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis - diagnostic imaging
Atherosclerosis - pathology
Calcification
Cardiovascular disease
Computation
Computed tomography
Coronary vessels
Coronary Vessels - diagnostic imaging
Coronary Vessels - pathology
Cultural heritage
Diagnostic software
Diagnostic systems
Dissection
Female
Forensic sciences
Heart - diagnostic imaging
Hemorrhage
Historic artifacts
Humans
Medical diagnosis
Medical imaging
Medicine
Middle Aged
Mummies - diagnostic imaging
Mummies - pathology
Plaques
Studies
Thickening
Thyroid gland
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Women
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In the present study on a newly discovered 17th century Korean mummy, computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple aortic calcifications within the aortic wall that were indicative of ancient atherosclerosis. The CT-based findings were confirmed by our subsequent post-factum dissection, which exhibited possible signs of the disease including ulcerated plaques, ruptured hemorrhages, and intimal thickening where the necrotic core was covered by the fibrous cap. These findings are strong indicators that the mummy suffered from aortic atherosclerosis during her lifetime. The present study is a good example of how CT images of vascular calcifications can be a useful diagnostic tool in forming at least preliminary diagnoses of ancient atherosclerosis.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0119474