• Jesús Herrerin, Albert Prats, Lidia Ledesma, and Albert Isidro.
• Department of Physical Anthropology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.
• World Neurosurg. 2018 Oct 1; 118: 230-234.

AbstractWe analyzed a total of 36 partial or complete mummies containing neural structures from Sharuna and Qarara (Middle Egypt) and Dra Abu-el Naga, West Thebes (Upper Egypt). Individual TT16 13.3-B06-Ind07 corresponded to a partial mummy from T2 to T11. At distal levels, it showed a structure compatible with the lower spinal cord (SC). Under magnification, the structure presented an absence of meningeal remains and a butterfly-like substructure resembling the anterior and posterior horns of the gray matter of the SC. Meanwhile, the central canal of the spinal cord (syrinx) was considerably enlarged. Field radiograph confirmed a structure compatible with the SC with a syrinx that shows a maximum diameter of 3.2 mm measured by digital caliper. Bearing in mind the normal shrinking mechanism at work in mummification, a pathologic condition such as syringomyelia during the individual's life is a distinct possibility. After a thorough review of the literature, this would be the earliest report of syringomyelia.Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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