Osteochondroma in a skeleton from an 11th century Croatian cemetery.
We present a case of a well-preserved bone tumor in a skeleton from a Croatian skeletal series dated to the 11th century AD. The tumor is located on the anterior side of the neck of the right femur. The gross morphology of the tumor - a round, lumpy, cauliflower-like appearance with a fairly smooth external surface - is consistent with osteochondroma. The diagnosis is supported by x-ray and CAT-scan findings, which show thickened trabeculae and an internal structure of cancellous bone interspersed with areas of dense compact bone. Comparison with x-rays from a patient surgically treated in 1999 for an osteochondroma with the same localization shows that the characteristics of the tumor have remained unchanged from the 11th century.
Slaus
M
M
Department of Archeology, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, A. Kovacica 5, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia. mslaus@hazu.hr
Orlić
D
D
Pećina
M
M
D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005269:Femur / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D015831:Osteochondroma / Q000473:pathology*; D010164:Paleopathology; D012863:Skeleton