Newly completed CT scans of a mummified lower limb belonging to an ancient Egyptian mummy show that the individual it belonged to may have suffered from osteoporosis, according to a recent statement from Hungary’s Semmelweis University.

The discovery comes as part of an ongoing study using CT scans and other technologies to analyze the partial remains of six different mummies, the oldest of which dates back approximately 2,300 years.

“The aim of the examinations is to obtain as accurate a picture as possible of the internal structure of the remains, any abnormalities, and the preservation techniques used,” explained Ibolyka Dudás, chief clinical physician at the Semmelweis University Medical Imaging Center's radiology department.

The six mummified body parts belong to a collection belonging to the Semmelweis Museum of Medical History in the Hungarian National Museum Public Collection Center (MNMKK).

Alongside the lower limb, the CT scans allowed for a more detailed examination of two mummified heads, another lower limb, a mummified hand, and an additional set of remiains, thought to be a mummy bundle. 

Studying the scans of the teeth and skull sutures of two mummified heads have given researchers a starting point to figuring out the ages of the indivduals, as well as laying the groundwork for a potential facial reconstruction of the two in the future.

Similarly, scans of the second, mummified lower limb, revealed that it had likely belonged to a younger individual. According to the university, these scans were also the first times the limb has ever been analyzed through detailed imaging data.

As well, researchers are trying to figure out through the scans whether the mummified hand belongs to a child or an adult.

The additional set of remains, previously thought to be a sort of "mummy bundle" containing either a human head or bird mummy, was revealed to be a mummified adult foot.

Alongside this, the university shared that researchers are trying to learn more about the style of mummification used for the foot, the age of the mummified individual it had belonged to, and any illnesses the individual may have had.

“The remains had previously been examined by a research team,” said Krisztina Scheffer, collection’s curator. “The current images provide a more detailed view than ever before and are expected to yield new, scientifically valid findings regarding the remains that have been preserved in the collection for decades.”

“Based on the results so far, it is evident that modern imaging technology opens up new perspectives in mummy research. It can reveal information hidden in finds that are thousands of years old without damaging them.”

The mummified remains were examined at Semmelweis University’s Medical Imaging Center using the institution’s newest CT scanner equipped with a photon-counting detector able to capture highly detailed images.