An interesting case of an developmental defect of the spine in an archaeological context
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| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Citation | |
| Description | A first dry-bone study of the anatomy of an absent of the half of the cervical vertebral arch is presented. The anomaly was found at C5 in the skeletal remains of the young female (24-30 years) from an early medieval burial site in the Czech Republic. Key features of the anomaly, including, the absence of the right half of vertebral arch, right half of the spine process and right superior and inferior articular process, are illustrated. A scoliosis developed in the whole spine, which is manifested by the sacrum and cranial base (occipital condyles) asymmetry. The current case is probably a first described case of an absent half of the vertebral arch in cervical vertebra in archaeological skeleton. This anomaly appears to be a rare variant today; the scarcity of archaeological cases shows that this was also the case in the past. |