Child Abuse eMedicine Radiology

Description: In the United States, child abuse is responsible for approximately 1400 deaths per year. A variety of injuries may occur as a result of child abuse. Some of the injuries observed in battered children are specific to this population, and certain patterns of injury are highly suggestive of nonaccidental trauma.
Most child abuse–related injuries are readily detectable during imaging. Radiologic examination is the mainstay for diagnosing physical abuse in children. Careful correlation of the observed radiologic findings with the proposed mechanism of injury and with the child's clinical status is imperative in the evaluation of any child in whom abuse is suspected. If such correlation is not performed, important clues of an inflicted injury may be overlooked, and the child may be returned to an abusive environment—with potentially disastrous consequences.
Avneesh Chhabra, MD, Eleanor Smergel, MD, Evan Geller, MD 2008