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Journal Article

Citation

Lantz PE, Couture DE. J. Forensic Sci. 2011; 56(6): 1648-1653.

Affiliation

Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157. Department of Neurosurgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01892.x

PMID

21827475

Abstract

We describe an infant with an acute subdural hematoma, a fatal head injury, and severe hemorrhagic retinopathy caused by a stairway fall. His cerebral and ocular findings are considered diagnostic of abusive head trauma by many authors. Our literature search of serious injuries or fatalities from stairway or low-height falls involving young children yielded 19 articles of primary data. These articles are discrepant, making the classification of a young child's death following a reported short fall problematic. This case report contradicts the prevalent belief of many physicians dealing with suspected child abuse that low-height falls by young children are without exception benign occurrences and cannot cause fatal intracranial injuries and severe retinal hemorrhages. The irreparable harm to a caregiver facing an erroneous allegation of child abuse requires physicians to thoroughly investigate and correctly classify pediatric accidental head injuries.


Language: en

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