New tomographic contribution to characterizing mesosaurid congenital scoliosis

PLoS One. 2019 Feb 27;14(2):e0212416. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212416. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

The presence of a pathology in the vertebral column of the early Permian mesosaurid specimen ZPAL R VII/1, being one of the oldest amniotic occurrences of congenital scoliosis caused by a hemivertebra, was recently recognized. Here we provide CT data to further characterize the phenomenon. The affected hemivertebra is wedged (incarcerated) between the preceding and succeeding vertebrae. The neural canal is misshapen but continuous and the number of dorsal ribs on each side of the specimen corresponds with the number of the vertebrae, documenting its congenital (homeobox-related) derivation.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brazil
  • Ecosystem
  • Fossils / anatomy & histology
  • Fossils / history
  • History, Ancient
  • Reptiles / abnormalities*
  • Scoliosis / congenital
  • Scoliosis / history
  • Scoliosis / veterinary*
  • Spine / abnormalities
  • Spine / diagnostic imaging
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.