Rib anomalies in a Neolithic period skeleton from Croatia

Congenital anomalies develop during intrauterine development. They can occur in soft tissues as well as skeletal elements and vary from minor to life threatening. In this paper we present a case of an individual from the Neolithic site of Vinka, Croatia. This adult male exhibited multiple congenital anomalies on cranial and postcranial skeleton. These include several rib anomalies on the right side: hyperplasia of the third rib, bifid fourth rib and flaring of the eighth rib. Additionally, lambdoid ossicles, parastyle of the second maxillary molar and supracondylar processes of the humeri are present. In this study we put emphasis on rib anomalies, very rarely reported in archaeological settings, and compare them to clinical cases.

Axial skeleton · Biology · Molar · Period (music) · Postcrania · Rib cage · Skeleton (computer programming) · Anatomy · Cleft Lip and Palate Research · Congenital limb and hand anomalies · Medicine · Orthodontics · Paleontology · Urological Disorders and Treatments