Stephanie Panzer, Alice Paladin, Stephanie Zesch, Wilfried Rosendahl, Peter Augat, Randall C Thompson, Michael I Miyamoto, M Linda Sutherland, Adel H Allam, L Samuel Wann, James D Sutherland, Chris J Rowan, David E Michalik, Klaus Hergan, Albert R Zink
The ancient Egyptians considered the heart to be the most important organ. The belief that the heart remained in the body is widespread in the archeological and paleopathological literature. The purpose of this study was to perform an overview of the preserved intrathoracic structures and thoracic and abdominal cavity filling, and to determine the prevalence and computed tomography (CT) characteristics of the myocardium in the preserved hearts of ancient Egyptian mummies. Whole-body CT examinations of 45 ancient Egyptian mummies (23 mummies from the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Berlin, Germany, and 22 mummies from the Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy) were systematically assessed for preserved intrathoracic soft tissues including various anatomical components of the heart (pericardium, interventricular septum, four chambers, myocardium, valves)...
April 2, 2024: Clinical Anatomy