Citation

Sivit CJ, Taylor GA, Eichelberger MR. Radiology 1989; 173(3): 659-661.

Affiliation

Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, Radiological Society of North America)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2813769

Abstract

Abdominal or lower thoracic visceral injury was present in 14 of 69 children (20.3%) examined after suspected physical abuse. Of these, 10 were hemodynamically stable and examined with abdominal computed tomography (CT); four were hemodynamically unstable, taken directly to surgery, or died in the emergency room. In the group studied with CT, injuries to solid abdominal organs were most common (hepatic n = 5., splenic n = 3., renal n = 1., adrenal n = 1., and pancreatic n = 1.) followed by pulmonary contusion or laceration (n = 2) and pneumoperitoneum due to duodenal transection (n = 1). No additional radiographic abnormalities were noted in five of these children. In the group not studied with CT, injuries to the intestinal tract and mesentery were most common (n = 3), followed by solid organ injury (hepatic n = 1. and renal n = 1.) and pulmonary contusion (n = 1). Intestinal, mesenteric, and pancreatic injuries were associated with a poor outcome. CT should be the examination of choice in abused children with suspected intraabdominal injury.

Language: en