Trepanation is known to be the first surgical procedure ever performed. Its origins date from the Neolithic Age in Europe and the operation was particularly performed in South America at the Pre-Colombian era, a few thousand years later. Based on many archeological studies on trepanned skulls, we compare the differences and similarities of these two periods through epidemiological, topographical, and technical approaches. Signs of bony regeneration are assessed in an attempt to understand the postoperative survival of trepanned patients. The literature in surgery and archeology does not mention the possible relation between trepanations and g…(more)
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%0 Journal Article
%1 citeulike:7902024
%A Chauvet, D.
%A Sainte-Rose, C.
%A Boch, A. L.
%D 2010
%J Neurochirurgie
%K archaeology trepanations
%R 10.1016/j.neuchi.2010.07.019
%T Le mystère des trépanations préhistoriques : la neurochirurgie serait-elle le plus vieux métier du monde ?
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuchi.2010.07.019
%X Trepanation is known to be the first surgical procedure ever performed. Its origins date from the Neolithic Age in Europe and the operation was particularly performed in South America at the Pre-Colombian era, a few thousand years later. Based on many archeological studies on trepanned skulls, we compare the differences and similarities of these two periods through epidemiological, topographical, and technical approaches. Signs of bony regeneration are assessed in an attempt to understand the postoperative survival of trepanned patients. The literature in surgery and archeology does not mention the possible relation between trepanations and growing skull fractures. However, it is reasonable to think that these cranial holes, occurring after a pediatric skull fracture, could mimic real trepanation orifices. The possible connections between these two entities are discussed. The etiological hypotheses on prehistoric trepanation are reviewed. De nombreuses recherches archéologiques ont mis au jour des crânes préhistoriques portant des traces de trépanation, opérations qui semblent avoir été pratiquées du vivant de l'individu. Les sites principaux localisent cette pratique en Europe au Néolithique et, quelques millénaires plus tard, en Amérique précolombienne. En nous appuyant sur les nombreuses études archéologiques des crânes trépanés, nous comparons les trépanations de ces deux époques et nous développons leurs différences et similitudes par une approche épidémiologique, topographique et technique. Les signes de régénération osseuse observés laissent envisager la survie postopératoire de la plupart des sujets trépanés. Nous nous posons cependant la question de l'éventuelle confusion entre des craniectomies pratiquées de main d'homme et des défects accidentels de la voûte crânienne, notamment les fractures croissantes de l'enfant. Ayant conclu à l'absence de confusion possible entre trépanation et fracture croissante, nous nous interrogeons finalement sur les causes de ces interventions chirurgicales, dans le contexte préhistorique.
@article{citeulike:7902024,
abstract = {{Trepanation is known to be the first surgical procedure ever performed. Its origins date from the Neolithic Age in Europe and the operation was particularly performed in South America at the Pre-Colombian era, a few thousand years later. Based on many archeological studies on trepanned skulls, we compare the differences and similarities of these two periods through epidemiological, topographical, and technical approaches. Signs of bony regeneration are assessed in an attempt to understand the postoperative survival of trepanned patients. The literature in surgery and archeology does not mention the possible relation between trepanations and growing skull fractures. However, it is reasonable to think that these cranial holes, occurring after a pediatric skull fracture, could mimic real trepanation orifices. The possible connections between these two entities are discussed. The etiological hypotheses on prehistoric trepanation are reviewed. De nombreuses recherches arch\'{e}ologiques ont mis au jour des cr\^{a}nes pr\'{e}historiques portant des traces de tr\'{e}panation, op\'{e}rations qui semblent avoir \'{e}t\'{e} pratiqu\'{e}es du vivant de l'individu. Les sites principaux localisent cette pratique en Europe au N\'{e}olithique et, quelques mill\'{e}naires plus tard, en Am\'{e}rique pr\'{e}colombienne. En nous appuyant sur les nombreuses \'{e}tudes arch\'{e}ologiques des cr\^{a}nes tr\'{e}pan\'{e}s, nous comparons les tr\'{e}panations de ces deux \'{e}poques et nous d\'{e}veloppons leurs diff\'{e}rences et similitudes par une approche \'{e}pid\'{e}miologique, topographique et technique. Les signes de r\'{e}g\'{e}n\'{e}ration osseuse observ\'{e}s laissent envisager la survie postop\'{e}ratoire de la plupart des sujets tr\'{e}pan\'{e}s. Nous nous posons cependant la question de l'\'{e}ventuelle confusion entre des craniectomies pratiqu\'{e}es de main d'homme et des d\'{e}fects accidentels de la vo\^{u}te cr\^{a}nienne, notamment les fractures croissantes de l'enfant. Ayant conclu \`{a} l'absence de confusion possible entre tr\'{e}panation et fracture croissante, nous nous interrogeons finalement sur les causes de ces interventions chirurgicales, dans le contexte pr\'{e}historique.}},
added-at = {2010-11-30T22:39:03.000+0100},
author = {Chauvet, D. and Sainte-Rose, C. and Boch, A. L.},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/29f1761b20db48986e990b1022d4cdaf4/smatthiesen},
citeulike-article-id = {7902024},
citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuchi.2010.07.019},
citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0028377010001311},
day = 23,
doi = {10.1016/j.neuchi.2010.07.019},
interhash = {c8b56057d77f57d5d872e5babab69255},
intrahash = {9f1761b20db48986e990b1022d4cdaf4},
issn = {00283770},
journal = {Neurochirurgie},
keywords = {archaeology trepanations},
month = {September},
posted-at = {2010-09-26 17:27:52},
priority = {2},
timestamp = {2010-12-02T14:41:48.000+0100},
title = {{Le myst\`{e}re des tr\'{e}panations pr\'{e}historiques : la neurochirurgie serait-elle le plus vieux m\'{e}tier du monde ?}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuchi.2010.07.019},
year = 2010
}