Pediatric neurosurgery
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Pediatric neurosurgery · Dec 1999
Case ReportsCurrent patterns of inflicted head injury in children.
The purpose of this study was to examine the current patterns of head trauma associated with child abuse. We reviewed the records of all patients admitted to our medical center between 1995 and 1997 with a primary diagnosis of head trauma, and analyzed the clinical presentation, mechanism of injury, socioeconomic status and outcome for these patients. Head trauma was deliberately inflicted in 38/405 children (9%). ⋯ Head injury is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the abused child. Child abuse cases correlated strongly with low socioeconomic status. Nonaccidental trauma must be considered strongly in children under 2 years of age who present with acute subdural hematoma in the absence of a history of a motor vehicle accident.