TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Rate and severity of radiological features of physical abuse in children during the first UK-wide COVID-19 enforced national lockdown
JO  - Archives of disease in childhood
A1  - Stivaros, Stavros
A1  - Paddock, Michael
A1  - Rajai, Azita
A1  - Cliffe, Helen
A1  - Connolly, Daniel Ja
A1  - Dineen, Robert A.
A1  - Dixon, Rachel
A1  - Edwards, Harriet
A1  - Evans, Emily
A1  - Halliday, Katherine
A1  - Jackson, Kandise
A1  - Landes, Caren
A1  - Oates, Adam J.
A1  - Stoodley, Neil
A1  - Offiah, Amaka C.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - Rate and severity of radiological features of physical abuse in children during the first UK-wide COVID-19 enforced national lockdown. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: To assess the number, type and outcome of radiological investigations for children presenting to hospital with suspected physical abuse (SPA; including abusive head trauma) during the first national COVID-19 enforced lockdown compared with the prelockdown period. <br><br>DESIGN: Multicentre, retrospective, observational, interrupted time series analysis.     SETTING: Eight secondary/tertiary paediatric centres between January 2018 and July 2020 inclusive.     PARTICIPANTS: 1587 hospital assessed children undergoing radiographic skeletal surveys (SkS) and head CT imaging performed for SPA/child protection concerns.     MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence and severity of fractures identified on SkS; head injury (composed of incidence rates and ratios of skull fracture, intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) and hypoxic ischaemic injury (HII)) on head CT imaging; and ratio of antemortem and postmortem SkS. <br><br>RESULTS: 1587 SkS were performed: 1282 (81%) antemortem, 762 (48%) male, and positive findings in 582 (37%). Median patient age was 6 months. There were 1.7 fractures/child prelockdown versus 1.1 fractures/child during lockdown. There was no difference between positive/negative SkS rates, the absolute ratio of antemortem/postmortem SkS or absolute numbers of head injury occurring between January 2018 and February 2020 and the lockdown period April-July 2020. Likewise, prelockdown incidence and rates of skull fracture 30/244 (12%), ICH 28/220 (13%) and HIE 10/205 (5%) were similar to lockdown, 142/1304 (11%), 171/1152 (15%) and 68/1089 (6%), respectively. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The first UK COVID-19 lockdown did not lead to an increase in either the number of antemortem or postmortem radiological investigations performed for SPA, or the number or severity of fractures and intracranial injuries identified by these investigations.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0003-9888
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2021-323444
ID  - ref1
ER  -