Pediatric Reports of Child Abuse

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Most reported abuse happen in kids younger than three years old. Sometimes, if what the parent tells the technologist what happened does not correlate with the pathology seen, then a strong case of child abuse can be made.
Child abuse is classified into six major types, such as: Neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological maltreatment, medical neglect and other abuse. Radiology can assist confirmation of child abuse in all categories but radiography has a strong role in physical abuse (Bontrager, 2014).
The radiographic indications for child abuse are mainly: classic metaphyseal lesions, rib fractures, and healing fractures (Bontrager, 2014).
Classic metaphyseal lesion (CML) is a fracture of a long bone. It is along the metaphysis that results in a tearing or avulsion of the metaphysis. Corner fracture and bucket-handle fracture are other names for the CML based on their appearance and location. On a radiograph technologists should look for crescent-shaped osseous densities adjacent to the avulsion fragment. This type of fracture is caused by vigorous forces exerted on the metaphysis, such as pulling on an extremity or from holding a child around the thorax and shaking violently, such as shaken baby syndrome (Bontrager, 2014).
Rib fractures mainly represent shaken baby syndrome. When a child is held strongly under the axilla and shaken, the amount of vigor exerted in the anterior and posterior direction is enough to fracture multiple ribs. This allows for fractures at the costovertebral and costotransverse articulations. This action may also fracture the scapula posteriorly and the sternum anteriorly (Bontrager, 2014).
Multiple healing fractures main also raise notion for child abuse. However, technologists should also c...

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...fants, and diagnosing pyloric stenosis, which frequently can eliminate the need for an upper gastrointestinal study. It is used on children with sickle cell anemia to image the major blood vessels and to check for sings of vascular spasm that may indicate an impending cerebrovascular accident. A newer form of Sonography is three-dimensional fetal ultrasound, which facilitates earlier diagnosis of potential genetic abnormalities by allowing better visualization of soft tissue, such as facial and head features and shapes (Bontrager, 2014).

Works Cited

Bontrager, K. L., & Lampignano, J. P. (2014). Radiographic Positioning and Related Anatomy (Eighth ed., pp. 624-626). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Alterman, D. M. (2013, August 2). Considerations in Pediatric Trauma. In Medscape. Retrieved March 25,
2014, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/435031-overview#a1

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