[A case of surgical ligature of the sacro-iliac joint from Renaissance Central Italy].

The paper reports a case of interbone ligature between the sacrum and right ileum using copper wire in an adult woman whose skeleton, dating from approximately 1600-1700 A.D., was exhumed from the Church of Sant'Egidio in Borrello (Chieti). Having described the ligature and the techniques used, the Authors discuss the reasons for the operation. In conclusion, it is suggested that the most plausible hypothesis is that it represent an interbone ligature during the course of autopsy to allow the recomposition of a corpse with a sacro-ileal dislocation. The absence of signs of sacro-ileal dislocation caused by mechanical levers during the course of autopsy leads the Authors to suppose the sacro-ileal rupture occurred while the subject was still alive. The Authors therefore hypothesise that the woman died while giving birth following the laceration of the pubic symphysis and rupture of the right sacro-ileal joint. The hypothesis of a corpse restoration is also suggested.