Radiološka obrada mumificiranih ostataka iz Egipatske zbirke Arheološkog muzeja u Zagrebu [Radiological analysis of mummified remains of Egyptian Collection of Zagreb Archeological Museum]

Introduction: Mummies are animal or human bodies in which decomposition is stopped after death. The most famous are Ancient Egyptian mummies, that first appeared in third millenium B.C. and disappeared after the Arab conquest of Egypt in 7th century A.D. Medicine had interest in mummies since first century, and although the attitude has changed over the centuries, they are still in scientific focus. Until the invention of X-ray it was impossible to study mummies non-invasively, which led to destruction of this important cultural heritage. Afterwards it was realized that they are a “window” in history of bioarcheology and anthropology. ----- Methods and Materials: X-ray, CT and MR scans of 18 specimen from the Egyptian Collection of Archeological Museum in Zagreb were done in University Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology in University Hospital Dubrava. ----- Results: 16 out of 18 mummified remains were scanned on MR and signal on several points of interests were compared with CT scans. Several unique paleopathological conditions were described as well as unique artifacts. ----- Conclusion: Several samples were incorrectly catalogized, and two had obvious signs of intervention later in history, most probably during 19th century in the period called “Egyptomania”. CT remains method of choice in mummy studies, but MR as an additional tool can be extremely useful in identifying pathology of iv disks and differentiation of resins used during mummification. As this is only the second study with successful gain of MR signal with UTE sequence we strongly suggest further multicentered studies.