Soft tissue calcifications in paleopathology 



C.-A. Baud and Christiane Kramar 



C^alcified masses are rarely described in paleopathological 

 literature (because they are perhaps not always found). As 

 their origin (Table I) and their interest may be varied, it is 

 important, in the presence of cxtraskeletal calcifications, to 

 distinguish ectopic ossifications, tissue calcifications, and 

 calculi. 



The diagnosis of some calcifications, owing to their at- 

 tachment to the skeleton, is easy: for example, the stylohyoid 

 ligament (O'Carroll 1984), costal cartilages (McCormick 

 1980) and myositisossificans(Lagier and Baud 1978). When 

 calcifications are isolated, but identifiable owing to their 

 shape, diagnosis is also easy: the laryngeal cartilages ( Jurik 

 1984), for example. When calcifications are not attached to 

 the skeleton and are without anatomical shape, the diagnosis 

 is harder. As such examples we present pleural plaques, 

 leiomyomas of the uterus, a tuberculous lymph node, and a 

 hydatid cyst. 



Material and methods 



Pleural plaques were found with the osseous remains of men 

 from three different medieval cemeteries; Collonge, Geneva, 

 Switzerland, 10-1 Ic, grave 45, man of more than 60 years 

 old (Baud 1972; Bonnet 1972); St. Matthieu's Church, 

 Bemex, Geneva, Switzerland, 13- 14c, grave 44, man of 60 

 years old (Kramar 1984), and St. Gervais, Geneva, Switzer- 

 land, grave 27. 



The first leiomyoma of the uterus was found among human 

 skeletal remains from a Middle Neolithic population, 

 Corseaux-sur-Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland, 4700-3490 B.C. 

 (Kramar 1982; Kramar et al. 1983). The two others are from 

 Early Middle Ages cemeteries: Sion Sous-le-Scex. Valais. 

 Switzerland, 5- 10c, grave 37 and Ranees, Vaud, Switzer- 

 land, 5-7c. 



The lymph node was found in a collective burial from the 

 Chalcolithic period. Dolmen des Peirieres, Villedubert, 

 Aude, France (Roudil 1976). 



The hydatid cyst was found with the remains of a medieval 

 child 2-4 years old. 



All concretions were first macroscopically and radio- 

 logically observed. Fragments of concretions were embed- 

 ded in methyl methacrylate and sectioned for microscopic 



Zagreb Paleopathology Symp. 1988 



examination in normal and polarized light. Ground sections 

 10 jjL thick were decalcified in formaldehyde-formic acid and 

 stained with van Gieson's picrofuchsine. 



Microradiographs were made from sections 100 jx thick, 

 according to the technique of Boivin and Baud (1984). Frag- 

 ments from the 100-^, sections were reembedded in epoxy 

 resin (Epon) forelectron microscopic examination. Ultrathin 

 sections were decalcified and stained with phosphotungstic 

 acid. 



An x-ray powder diffraction analysis was performed with a 

 Guinier camera to determine the crystalline species, and an 

 x-ray diffractometric recording, following the technique of 

 Jacquet et al. (1980), for crystal size and/or perfection esti- 

 mate. 



Results 



PLEURAL PLAQUES 



Macroscopically the pleural plaques were hard, of variable 

 size ( 14.5 X 1 3 cm the biggest; 7.5 x 4.5 cm the smallest; 4- 

 5 mm thick), with an irregular surface structure. Radiographs 

 reflected these differences with a disparity of absorption. 



Table l. Examples and etiology of 

 some soft tissue calcification 



Etiology 



Examples 



DevtlopmentaJ 

 Aging 



Immobilization 



Trauma 



Inflammatory 



Tumoral 



Stylohyoid ligament 

 Crowned odontoid 



Laryngeal cartilages 

 Costal cartilages 



Articular tissues 



Myositis ossificans 



Pleural plaques 

 Lymph node 

 Hydatid cysts 



Leiomyoma 



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