Klippel‐Feil syndrome in an Early Hungarian Period juvenile skeleton from Austria

The excellently preserved skeleton of a juvenile from the Early Hungarian Period (10^th century AD), recently excavated in Gnadendorf (Lower Austria), displays typical symptoms of Type II congenital ‘Klippel‐Feil syndrome’ (KFS): fused cervical vertebrae 2 and 3, and fused thoracic vertebrae 2 and 3. Other features observed in this skeleton clinically reported for KFS include a basilar impression and a spina bifida occulta. The bilateral symmetrical hypoplasia of the basilar part of the occipital bone is probably also linked to this syndrome, as well as the constricted external acoustic meati, which almost certainly led to hearing impairment. A cranial lesion and its possible consequences are discussed in the context of the specific KFS alterations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.