Many tyrannosaurid specimens preserve unusual pathologies in the caudal half of the mandible that are of uncertain origin. The two main hypotheses put forth to date both suggest these pathologies are lesions resultant from infection either due to bacteria or protozoans. In light of this controversy, we provide a comparative anatomical study to characterize the pathophysiology of these enigmatic pathologies in order to elucidate their underlying cause. Human individuals that had been subjected to cranial trepanation and specimens of the late Triassic reptile Stagonolepis exhibiting healing fractures provide phylogenetic bracketing for investigating bone surface alterations induced by trauma in dinosaurs. Examination of mandibular pathologies in Tyrannosaurus rex FMNH PR2081 reveals all the characteristics of wound healing in the absence of infection. Additional evidence that refutes the previous hypothesis that these pathologies result from infection by the protozoan, Trichomonas gallinae, is discussed. Behavioral evidence suggests that these pathologies may be wounds induced through intraspecific combat.

许多霸王龙标本在下颌骨的尾半部保留了不寻常的病理，这些病理起源不确定。迄今为止提出的两个主要假设都表明这些病理是由细菌或原生动物感染引起的损伤。鉴于这一争议，我们提供了一项比较解剖学研究来描述这些神秘病理的病理生理学，以阐明其根本原因。已经接受颅骨钻孔的人类个体和晚期三叠纪爬行动物Stagonolepis的标本表现出愈合性骨折，为研究恐龙创伤引起的骨表面变化提供了系统发育括号。霸王龙下颌病变的检查FMNH PR2081 揭示了在没有感染的情况下伤口愈合的所有特征。还讨论了驳斥先前假设的额外证据，即这些病理是由原生动物鸡毛滴虫感染引起的。行为证据表明，这些病症可能是通过种内战斗引起的伤口。