Calcified Pulmonary Nodules Identified in a 350-Year-Old-Joseon Mummy: the First Report on Ancient Pulmonary Tuberculosis from Archaeologically Obtained Pre-modern Korean Samples.
10.3346/jkms.2016.31.1.147
- Author:
Yi Suk KIM
1
;
In Sun LEE
;
Chang Seok OH
;
Myeung Ju KIM
;
Soon Chul CHA
;
Dong Hoon SHIN
Author Information
1. Department of Anatomy, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Case Report ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords:
Mycobacterium tuberculosis;
Korean Mummy;
Joseon Dynasty;
Calcified Nodules;
Lung
- MeSH:
Adult;
Female;
Humans;
Mummies/*radiography;
Republic of Korea;
Tomography, X-Ray Computed;
Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/*diagnosis
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2016;31(1):147-151
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
We found calcified pulmonary nodules in a middle-aged female mummy discovered from 350-yr-old Joseon tomb of Korea. In the CT scan, we found six radiopaque nodules in right lung, through the levels of thoracic vertebrae 1 to 6. We also found presumptive pleural adhesions in right thoracic cavity of CT images. We re-confirmed radiological findings by our post-factum dissection on the same mummy. By the differential diagnosis, we speculate that the radiopaque calcification nodules and associated pleural adhesion could have been caused by tuberculosis. This is the first-ever report on the pulmonary tuberculosis identified in archaeologically obtained, pre-modern Korean samples.
