Frecuencia de hueso lambdoideo en cráneos con deformación artificial en el norte de Chile

Abstract

Sutural or wormians bones are accesory bones, with genetic and heriditary importance, and consided ethnic variables (Orts Llorca, 1958; Figu ́n & Garino, 1992). They are characterized by be variables in number, size and shape, located in sutures and fontanelles, preferably in posteriorly placed sutures (Sappey 1888, Sicher, 1965; Sa ́nchez-Lara et al., 2007). They are of interest in human anatomy, physical anthropology, imagenology and legal medicine (Lips & Garci ́a-Herna ́ndez, 1983; Henri ́quez-Pino et al., 1992; Braga et al., 2000; García-Hernández et al., 2007). Cranial deformation, pathological or artificial, stimulates the formation of accidental ossification centers, increasing the formation of ossicles in sutures and fontanelles (Del Papa & Pe ́rez, 2007). Artificial cranial deformation was common in amerindian cultures, for aesthetic, magical or religious purpose, as a form of ethnic identificate, social, nobility or associated with the ruling group (Torres-Rouff, 2007) and it was performed applying wooden boards or bandages in the head of newborn. The hypothesis of investigation is to determinate if there is a greater number of ossicles lambdoid in skulls of atacameños in Northern Chile with and without artificial cranial deformation. To fulfill this goal we studied 77 atacameños skulls of both sexes (27 deformed y 50 not deformed), selected at random between 293 individuals of the Coyo-Orient cementery, dated between 300-1200 A.C. and these remains are part of the Museum R.P. Gustavo Le Paige in San Pedro de Atacama of the North Catholic University. All skulls were analyzed, photographed in all anatomical norms and measured to obtain the cranial index. There prevalence of lambdoid bones in artificial cranial deformed (p<0,05=0,00000249247), with average cranial index with greater hyperbrachycephaly (92,63 DS 9,72) and greater percentage of brachycephalic skulls with lambdoid bones (92,6%-32%; p<0,05=3,67073E-7).