Citation

Waseem M, Perales O. Pediatr. Emerg. Care 2008; 24(10): 679-681.

Affiliation

Department of Emergency Medicine, Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, NY.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/PEC.0b013e3181887722

PMID

19240669

Abstract

The diagnosis of abuse in a child with occult abdominal injuries is difficult. Not many patients with nonaccidental trauma present with a clear history of the injury. The absence of a reliable history in patients with nonaccidental trauma makes determination of an exact mechanism difficult. In most cases, patients present to the emergency department with inaccurate or misleading histories; some give no history of trauma, which may delay recognition of serious abdominal injuries. In addition, the child may have other injuries, such as neurologic or musculoskeletal, which divert attention from occult abdominal injuries. Pancreatic and duodenal injuries are considered specific for abuse. We report a child with pancreatic injury without an appropriate history of trauma, determined to be caused by nonaccidental trauma.

Language: en