Computed tomography in paleopathology: technique and case study.

With the development of computed tomography, soft tissues and foreign body collections are distinguished with remarkable resolution. This distinction is particularly useful when examining desiccated human remains, both in construction of research strategies and when invasive procedure (i.e., traditional autopsies, needle biopsies, etc.) are not possible. Though the organs differ markedly from living tissue, it is possible to distinguish major organs with some certainty. One case study exhibited three separate pathological conditions which were not demonstrated with traditional radiological procedures.