Morphological and paleoradiological studies of Pott's disease cases

Abstract

Two human thoracolumbar spine remains showing angular kyphosis have been investigated. Both skeletons come from medieval Hungary; one of them was recovered from the skeletal material of Szeged Castle and the other one from the cemetery of Nyárlôrinc. Both cases show serious bone deformities; on account of a chronic pathological process, several vertebral bodies have been destroyed and have collapsed resulting in a gibbus. Because of the specific character of the lesions, the diagnosis of vertebral tuberculosis (TB) could be rendered probable even after the initial macroscopic observations. As for the spine from Nyárlôrinc, the diagnosis of TB was confirmed by a molecular test too. A comparative paleoradiological analysis has also aided our diagnosis. The radiological picture is consistent with characteristics of Pott’s disease in both cases.