Content
Fragment from the book: Ortner DJ, Putschar WGJ. Identification of
Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains (1981). The authors describe
signs of ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) pathology in the remains of a Bronze
Age individual, possibly resulting from recurrent hip subluxation. The text in Russian
is available at the following link: 1981OrtnerDJ_PutscharWGJ.
Quote pp. 360-361
An adult male skeleton from tomb A100E at the Early Bronze
Age [c. 3500–2000 BCE] cemetery of Bab edh-Dhra in Jordan has an abnormally
shallow acetabulum of the right hip. This is the same skeleton that had a
separate neural arch. The acetabulum is also much larger in diameter than the
corresponding acetabulum of the left innominate (Figure 577). There is a
moderate amount of arthritic lipping on the margin of the abnormal acetabulum,
but there is no secondary joint. The clearest evidence of dislocation is seen
on the head of the right femur (Figure 578). The head itself is enlarged with
two obvious defects on the inferior surface. The most anterior of these defects
is a shallow curved depression about 1 centimeter wide by 2 centimeters long.
The margins are sharply defined and the base of the lesion is porous but well
remodeled. The posterior defect is a narrow deep groove beginning with the pit for
the ligamentum teres and continuing posteriorly through the boundary of the
joint surface.
The curvature of the anterior defect corresponds to the curvature of the anterior margin of the acetabulum. There is little doubt that chronic and abnormal abrasion of the femoral head during repeated episodes of partial, anterosuperior subluxation produced this defect. The posterior defect is due to abnormal pressure on the joint surface by the ligamentum teres perhaps during dislocation. Another possibility is that part of an abnormally elongated ligamentum teres might have lain across the joint surface when the head was in the normal anatomical position. In view of the lack of a secondary joint and any evidence of fracture, congenital dislocation would appear to be the most appropriate diagnosis.
Ortner DJ, Putschar WGJ. Identification of Pathological Conditions in
Human Skeletal Remains. Washington: Smithsonian
Institution Press, 1981. repository.si.edu
Ortner Donald J. (1938-2012) was a biological anthropologist in the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. sova.si.edu
Putschar Walter G.J. (1904–1987) was a pathologist, on the staff of the Department of Pathology of
Massachusetts General Hospital. massgeneral.org
ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, pathology, dislocation, arthrosis, osteoarthritis, paleontology
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