Shaken baby syndrome is the most common cause of death or serious neurological injury resulting from child abuse. It is specific to infancy, when children have unique anatomic features. Subdural and retinal haemorrhages are markers of shaking injury. An American radiologist, John Caffey, coined the name whiplash shaken infant syndrome in 1974. It was, however, a British neurosurgeon, Guthkelch who first described shaking as the cause of subdural haemorrhage in infants. Impact was later thought to play a major part in the causation of brain damage. Recently improved neuropathology and imaging techniques have established the cause of brain injury as hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy. Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging is the most sensitive and specific method of confirming a shaking injury. Families of children with subdural haemorrhages should be thoroughly investigated by social welfare agencies. (+info)
Shaken baby syndrome in Canada: clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospital cases.
(2/27)
BACKGROUND: Shaken baby syndrome is an extremely serious form of abusive head trauma, the extent of which is unknown in Canada. Our objective was to describe, from a national perspective, the clinical characteristics and outcome of children admitted to hospital with shaken baby syndrome. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review, for the years 1988-1998, of the cases of shaken baby syndrome that were reported to the child protection teams of 11 pediatric tertiary care hospitals in Canada. Shaken baby syndrome was defined as any case reported at each institution of intracranial, intraocular or cervical spine injury resulting from a substantiated or suspected shaking, with or without impact, in children aged less than 5 years. RESULTS: The median age of subjects was 4.6 months (range 7 days to 58 months), and 56% were boys. Presenting complaints for the 364 children identified as having shaken baby syndrome were nonspecific (seizure-like episode [45%], decreased level of consciousness [43%] and respiratory difficulty [34%]), though bruising was noted on examination in 46%. A history and/or clinical evidence of previous maltreatment was noted in 220 children (60%), and 80 families (22%) had had previous involvement with child welfare authorities. As a direct result of the shaking, 69 children died (19%) and, of those who survived, 162 (55%) had ongoing neurological injury and 192 (65%) had visual impairment. Only 65 (22%) of those who survived were considered to show no signs of health or developmental impairment at the time of discharge. INTERPRETATION: Shaken baby syndrome results in an extremely high degree of mortality and morbidity. Ongoing care of these children places a substantial burden on the medical system, caregivers and society. (+info)
Shaking infant trauma induced by misuse of a baby chair.
(3/27)
A 2 month old infant presented with bilateral subdural haemorrhages and bilateral subhyaloid haemorrhage. The parent admitted to forceful bouncing of the child in a baby rocker. Experiments showed that violent rocking in the chair could produce extreme alternating acceleration/deceleration forces in excess of those induced by shaking alone. Such handling could not be interpreted as accidental mismanagement and the abusive nature of the process was graphically shown in video recordings of the experiment. Prosecution resulted in a conviction for cruelty, and a suspended sentence. (+info)
Shaken baby syndrome.
(4/27)
A 5-month-old infant with Shaken Baby Syndrome is reported. This form of physical child abuse is often overlooked. It should be suspected in infant who present with drowsiness, coma, seizures or apnea. (+info)
Shaken baby syndrome manifesting as chronic subdural hematoma: importance of single photon emission computed tomography for treatment indications--case report.
(5/27)
A boy with shaken baby syndrome first presented at age 3 months with acute subdural hematoma (SDH) and was treated by subdural tapping at a local hospital. Chronic SDH was identified at a rehabilitation center at age 19 months. The chronic SDH appeared to have developed within the preceding 16 months. His physical and mental development was already delayed. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a 20-mm thick right chronic SDH with midline shift and small bilateral subdural effusions. The chronic SDH had compressed the right cerebral hemisphere. MR imaging also disclosed bilateral cerebral atrophy. 99mTc-ethylcysteinate dimer single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) revealed decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the non-hematoma hemisphere, although CBF is said to decrease on the chronic SDH side, especially if midline shift is present. Burr hole craniotomy with external drainage was performed, but the patient showed no change in CBF postoperatively, although the volume of hematoma decreased. The patient was clinically unchanged immediately after the operation. In this case, SPECT measurement of CBF was important in evaluating the pathophysiology of the delays in physical and mental growth. Atrophy of the bilateral hemispheres was the major mechanism in the decreased CBF, not the compression by chronic SDH. MR imaging and SPECT can determine the surgical indications for chronic SDH in patients with cortical atrophy. (+info)
Non-accidental fatal head injury in small children--a clinico-pathological correlation.
(6/27)
Non-accidental head injury leading to massive intracranial trauma has been identified as a leading cause of death in small children. In a typical case, a child usually below the age of one year is violently shaken, leading to rupture of the connecting veins between the dura mater and the brain substance with variable degrees of bleeding into the subdural space resulting in increased intracranial pressure. The accompanying venous thrombosis affecting the vessels of the brain substance leads to cerebral hypoxia and cellular death. In this study conducted throughout the year 1999, all children below the age of 3 years who were admitted to Hospital Kuala Lumpur and had died due to non-accidental injuries were included. Postmortems, including histopathological studies, were conducted to determine the most likely mechanisms of the injuries. Ten cases were identified for the whole year. In 2 cases, both below one year of age, the features presented showed evidence of violent shaking of the infants. In 6 other cases whose average age was 13 (range 4-24) months, there were evidences of direct trauma and violent shaking. In the last two cases, aged 24 and 33 months respectively, there was only evidence of direct trauma on the heads without being shaken. This study shows that death due to intracranial trauma caused by shaking with or without direct impact is the most frequent cause of mortality in abused children. Death due to direct impact between the head and another object is a less frequent occurrence. (+info)
Shaken baby syndrome: an odyssey.
(7/27)
Shaken baby syndrome is evaluated in the context of its historical evolution and its veracity in referring to causal injury mechanisms. A rational assessment of the injury causation and consequent pathological states associated with the syndrome is presented. It is now evident that shaken baby syndrome evolved as a result of a faulty application of scientific reasoning and a lack of appreciation of mechanisms of injury. A brief explanation of the commonly understood usage and interface of scientific methodology and reasoning as applied to clinical medicine is given. (+info)
Findings in older children with abusive head injury: does shaken-child syndrome exist?
(8/27)
Shaken-baby syndrome (SBS) has been hypothesized to occur after shaking by an adult during the first 2 years of life. We wondered whether it is possible to achieve rotational forces sufficient to cause SBS-like injuries in children >2 years of age. The present study describes cases of child abuse in older children who presented with the classic ophthalmologic and intracranial findings of SBS. In this case series, 4 cases of older children (2.5-7 years old; 11.8-22 kg) who died from abusive head injuries and who had diffuse retinal hemorrhages identified antemortem were selected for review. The cases were abstracted from hospital charts, records from autopsies, coroners' and district attorneys' offices, and court transcripts. In all 4 cases the history provided by the primary caregiver did not match the severity of the injuries. Three case subjects presented with patterned bruises. Multilayered retinal hemorrhages and acute subdural hematoma were observed in all 4 cases. At autopsy, diffuse axonal injury was evident in 3 of the 4 cases; all 4 cases had optic nerve sheath hemorrhages. None of the victims had skeletal fractures on radiologic examination or at autopsy. This case series demonstrates that it is possible to observe SBS-like retinal and central nervous system findings in the older and heavier child. Our findings underscore the need for providers to consider intentional shaking as a mechanism of injury in the evaluation of abusive head injury in older children. (+info)