Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Infants with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury and Associations with Abusive Head Trauma
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SUBMITTER: Ferguson N
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9322188 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:AimTo report the retinal signs that distinguish abusive head trauma (AHT) from non-abusive head trauma (nAHT).MethodsA systematic review of literature, 1950-2009, was conducted with standardised critical appraisal. Inclusion criteria were a strict confirmation of the aetiology, children aged <11 years and details of an examination conducted by an ophthalmologist. Post mortem data, organic disease of eye, and inadequate examinations were excluded. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine odds ratios (OR) and probabilities for AHT.ResultsOf the 62 included studies, 13 provided prevalence data (998 children, 504 AHT). Overall, retinal haemorrhages (RH) were found in 78% of AHT vs 5% of nAHT. In a child with head trauma and RH, the OR that this is AHT is 14.7 (95% confidence intervals 6.39, 33.62) and the probability of abuse is 91%. Where recorded, RH were bilateral in 83% of AHT compared with 8.3% in nAHT. RH were numerous in AHT, and few in nAHT located in the posterior pole, with only 10% extending to periphery. True prevalence of additional features, for example, retinal folds, could not be determined.ConclusionsOur systematic review confirms that although certain patterns of RH were far commoner in AHT, namely large numbers of RH in both the eyes, present in all layers of the retina, and extension into the periphery, there was no retinal sign that was unique to abusive injury. RH are rare in accidental trauma and, when present, are predominantly unilateral, few in number and in the posterior pole.
| S-EPMC3545381 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeThe purpose of the study was to audit the use of non-contact ultra-widefield retinal imaging in infants with suspected abusive head trauma (AHT) using the Optos P200MA Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope.Patients and methodsA retrospective, observational case series. Ten eyes of five consecutive infants (aged 1-15 months) with suspected (or in 1 case, known) AHT referred for an ophthalmological opinion were included. Each infant underwent non-contact ultra-widefield retinal imaging using the Optos P200MA scanning laser ophthalmoscope. Optos fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) was performed in one infant with oral sedation. The other four infants did not require sedation. The main outcome measure was the acquisition of a single, definitive ultra-widefield retinal image in each eye. Safety was audited by determining adverse changes in heart rate and oxygen saturations that required cessation of imaging.ResultsThe Optos P200MA ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscope acquired good quality retinal images in all infants. Documentation of acute, widespread retinal haemorrhages contributed to a diagnosis of AHT in three infants. Chronic pre-macular haemorrhage and macular schisis were documented by FFA in a fourth infant. The absence of retinal haemorrhages was documented in a fifth infant contributing to the exclusion of a diagnosis of AHT. There were no adverse safety signals in any infant in this series.ConclusionThe Optos P200MA ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscope appears safe to use in infants with suspected AHT, providing high-quality retinal images in a single frame without ocular contact. Optos P200MA may be used as alternative to RetCam to document retinal haemorrhages in stable infants with suspected AHT.
| S-EPMC5350378 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Small series have suggested that outcomes after abusive head trauma are less favorable than after other injury mechanisms. We sought to determine the impact of abusive head trauma on mortality and identify factors that differentiate children with abusive head trauma from those with traumatic brain injury from other mechanisms.First 200 subjects from the Approaches and Decisions in Acute Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Trial-a comparative effectiveness study using an observational, cohort study design.PICUs in tertiary children's hospitals in United States and abroad.Consecutive children (age < 18 yr) with severe traumatic brain injury (Glasgow Coma Scale ? 8; intracranial pressure monitoring).None.Demographics, injury-related scores, prehospital, and resuscitation events were analyzed. Children were dichotomized based on likelihood of abusive head trauma. A total of 190 children were included (n = 35 with abusive head trauma). Abusive head trauma subjects were younger (1.87?±?0.32 vs 9.23?±?0.39 yr; p < 0.001) and a greater proportion were female (54.3% vs 34.8%; p = 0.032). Abusive head trauma were more likely to 1) be transported from home (60.0% vs 33.5%; p < 0.001), 2) have apnea (34.3% vs 12.3%; p = 0.002), and 3) have seizures (28.6% vs 7.7%; p < 0.001) during prehospital care. Abusive head trauma had a higher prevalence of seizures during resuscitation (31.4 vs 9.7%; p = 0.002). After adjusting for covariates, there was no difference in mortality (abusive head trauma, 25.7% vs nonabusive head trauma, 18.7%; hazard ratio, 1.758; p = 0.60). A similar proportion died due to refractory intracranial hypertension in each group (abusive head trauma, 66.7% vs nonabusive head trauma, 69.0%).In this large, multicenter series, children with abusive head trauma had differences in prehospital and in-hospital secondary injuries which could have therapeutic implications. Unlike other traumatic brain injury populations in children, female predominance was seen in abusive head trauma in our cohort. Similar mortality rates and refractory intracranial pressure deaths suggest that children with severe abusive head trauma may benefit from therapies including invasive monitoring and adherence to evidence-based guidelines.
| S-EPMC5511066 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Importance:Studies suggest that a postnatal parental intervention may reduce the incidence of abusive head trauma (AHT) of infants and young children. Objective:To assess the effect of statewide universal AHT education for parents on AHT hospitalization rates in Pennsylvania and on parents' self-reported knowledge gains and parenting behaviors. Design, Setting, and Participants:Changes in AHT hospitalization rates in Pennsylvania before and during the intervention were compared with those in 5 other states lacking universal parental AHT education during the same period. Data were collected from maternity units and birthing centers throughout Pennsylvania from the parents of 1?593?834 infants born on these units from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2013. Parental behavior and knowledge were assessed through immediate (n?=?16?111) and 7-month postintervention (n?=?146) parent surveys in a per protocol analysis of evaluable parents. Interventions:Parents read a brochure, viewed an 8-minute video about infant crying and AHT, asked questions of the nurse, and signed a commitment statement affirming their participation. Educational posters were displayed on each unit. Main Outcomes and Measures:Changes in AHT hospitalization rates before and during the intervention in Pennsylvania and 5 other states. Secondary outcomes included self-reported knowledge gains and changes in parenting practices. Results:A total of 1?180?291 parents (74.1%) of children ranging in age from 0 to 23 months signed a commitment statement. Incidence rate ratios for hospitalization for AHT increased in Pennsylvania from 24.1 (95% CI, 22.1-26.3) to 26.6 (95% CI, 24.9-28.4) per 100?000 children aged 0 to 23 months during the intervention period; changes in Pennsylvania were not significantly different from aggregate changes in the 5 other states, from 22.4 (95% CI, 21.2-23.6) to 22.0 (95% CI, 21.2-22.8) per 100?000 children aged 0 to 23 months. A total of 16?111 parents (21.5% men, 78.5% women) completed the postnatal survey. Despite an overall 74.1% adherence with the intervention, only 20.6% of parents saw the brochure and video and only 5.7% were exposed to the entire intervention. Among the respondents answering individual questions on the postnatal surveys, 10?958 mothers (91.0%) and 2950 fathers (88.6%) reported learning a lot about understanding infant crying as normal; 11?023 mothers (92.2%) and 2923 fathers (88.9%), calming their infant, 11?396 mothers (94.6%) and 3035 fathers (91.9%), calming themselves; 10?060 mothers (85.1%) and 2688 fathers (83.4%), selecting other infant caregivers; and 11?435 mothers (94.8%) and 3201 fathers (95.8%), that the information would decrease the likelihood of shaking an infant. Among the 143 respondents completing the 7-month survey, 109 (76.2%) reported remembering the information while their child was crying. Conclusions and Relevance:This intervention was not associated with a reduction in pediatric AHT hospitalization rates but was associated with self-reported gains in parental knowledge that were retained for 7 months.
| S-EPMC5863059 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceThe COVID-19 pandemic and the containment and mitigation measures taken were feared to be associated with increased child abuse.ObjectiveTo investigate the trend of abusive head trauma (AHT) incidence and severity in infants during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design, setting, and participantsIn a time-series analysis of a longitudinal, population-based, cohort study, all consecutive cases of AHT in infants younger than 12 months old referred between January 2017 and December 2021 to Necker Hospital for Sick Children, the single regional pediatric neurosurgery center for the Paris metropolitan area, were included. AHT was defined as 1 or more subdural hemorrhage and a positive multidisciplinary evaluation after a social, clinical, biological, and radiological workup. Data were analyzed from January to March 2022.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was the monthly incidence of AHT, which was analyzed using Poisson regression modeling. Secondary outcomes included mortality and severe morbidity and were studied with logistic and linear regressions. The monthly incidence of neurosurgical interventions for hydrocephalus was used as a control series.ResultsAmong the 99 included infants with AHT (median [IQR] age, 4 [3-6] months; 64 boys [65%]), 86 of 99 (87%) had bridging vein thrombosis, 74 of 99 (75%) had retinal hemorrhages, 23 of 72 (32%) had fractures, 26 of 99 (26%) had status epilepticus, 20 of 99 (20%) had skin injuries, 53 of 99 (54%) underwent neurosurgical interventions, and 13 of 99 (13%) died. Compared with the prepandemic period (2017-2019), AHT incidence was stable in 2020 (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.59-1.77) and then significantly increased in 2021 (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.23-2.99). The severity of AHT worsened in 2021 in terms of mortality (odds ratio 9.39; 95% CI, 1.88-47.00). Other secondary outcomes and the control series were not significantly modified.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study, a marked increase in AHT incidence and severity occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Paris metropolitan area. These results suggest the need for clinical awareness and preventive actions.
| S-EPMC9428740 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Head trauma from abuse, including shaken baby syndrome, is a devastating and potentially lethal form of infant physical abuse first recognized in the early 1970s. What has been less recognized is the role of the early increase in crying in otherwise normal infants in the first few months of life as a trigger for the abuse. In part, this is because infant crying, especially prolonged unsoothable crying, has been interpreted clinically as something wrong with the infant, the infant's caregiver, or the interactions between them. Here, we review an alternative developmental interpretation, namely, that the early increase in crying is a typical behavioral development in normal infants and usually does not reflect anything wrong or abnormal. We also review evidence indicating that this normal crying pattern is the most common trigger for abusive head trauma (AHT). Together, these findings point to a conceptualization of AHT as the consequence of a failure in an otherwise common, iterative, and developmentally normal infant-caregiver interaction. They also imply that there is a window of opportunity for prevention of AHT, and potentially other forms of infant abuse, through a public health primary universal prevention strategy aimed at changing knowledge and behaviors of caregivers and society in general concerning normal development of infants and the significance of early increased infant crying. If effective, there may be important implications for prevention of infant abuse nationally and internationally.
| S-EPMC3477395 | biostudies-other
Project description:BACKGROUND:Evidence-based, patient-specific estimates of abusive head trauma probability can inform physicians' decisions to evaluate, confirm, exclude, and/or report suspected child abuse. OBJECTIVE:To derive a clinical prediction rule for pediatric abusive head trauma that incorporates the (positive or negative) predictive contributions of patients' completed skeletal surveys and retinal exams. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING:500 acutely head-injured children under three years of age hospitalized for intensive care at one of 18 sites between 2010 and 2013. METHODS:Secondary analysis of an existing, cross-sectional, prospective dataset, including (1) multivariable logistic regression to impute the results of abuse evaluations never ordered or completed, (2) regularized logistic regression to derive a novel clinical prediction rule that incorporates the results of completed abuse evaluations, and (3) application of the new prediction rule to calculate patient-specific estimates of abusive head trauma probability for observed combinations of its predictor variables. RESULTS:Applying a mean probability threshold of >0.5 to classify patients as abused, the 7-variable clinical prediction rule derived in this study demonstrated sensitivity 0.73 (95% CI: 0.66-0.79) and specificity 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82-0.90). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.85-0.92). Patient-specific estimates of abusive head trauma probability for 72 observed combinations of its seven predictor variables ranged from 0.04 (95% CI: 0.02-0.08) to 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96-0.99). CONCLUSIONS:Seven variables facilitate patient-specific estimation of abusive head trauma probability after abuse evaluation in intensive care settings.
| S-EPMC6333504 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A nine-year-old male European shorthair cat was referred to our practice with severe head trauma after suffering a road traffic accident (RTA). The patient presented marked facial swelling and multiple skin wounds and bruising, inspiratory dyspnea, palpable mandibular and maxillary fractures, serosanguinolent oronasal discharge and right eye exophthalmos and buphthalmos with loss of menace and pupillary reflex. After stabilizing the patient, a CT scan was performed under general anesthesia and an oesophagostomy tube was placed. The scan revealed the presence of multiple right tympanic bulla fractures. Multiple mandibular, maxillary, and palatine fractures were also present. The cat underwent surgery. Mandibular symphyseal separation and maxillary fractures were stabilized using intraoral cerclage wire fixation reinforced with composite and the right eye was enucleated. The rest of the fractures were treated conservatively. A CT scan 4 months after the trauma was also performed. At this point, the maxillofacial fractures were healing properly, and a bone callus demonstrating fusion of fragments of the right tympanic bulla was evident. There was absence of abnormal content inside the right tympanic bulla. The patient recovered uneventfully with no neurological deficits. To the author's knowledge this is the first case reporting a traumatic tympanic bulla fracture in the cat with case follow up, and the first case reported using CT as diagnostic imaging test.
| S-EPMC7426505 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Although confessions related to abusive head trauma (AHT) are reported, no detailed analysis exists. Therefore, we systematically reviewed studies of AHT confessions and examined the details, including country of origin, mechanisms and perpetrators' characteristics [PUBLISHER - THE PRECEDING UNDERLINED TEXT IS FOR THE MARGIN]. Employing 36 search terms across three search engines, we searched Medline and CINAHL from 1963 to 2018. All relevant studies underwent two independent reviews and data extraction. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the sample; chi square and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess differences in demographic and clinical characteristics. Of 6759 identified studies, 157 full texts were reviewed and 55 articles from 15 countries spanning four continents were included. Included articles contained 434 confessions. The mechanisms of abuse included shaking alone (64.1%), impact alone (17.1%), shaking plus impact (18.0%) and other (0.9%). There was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of confessions reporting shaking alone when comparing continents: North America (64.0%), Europe (64.2%) and Oceania (60.0%; P=.92), or when comparing circumstances in which the confession was obtained: medical evaluation (74.6%) vs police or judicial investigations (63.4%; P=.11). Of 119 cases with identified perpetrators, 67.2 per cent were cases with males alone. Confessions reveal striking similarities in the mechanism of AHT (predominantly shaking) and occur across the globe.
| S-EPMC10655946 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Abusive head trauma (AHT) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among abused children, yet the neuroanatomical underpinnings of AHT outcome is incompletely understood. The aim of this study was to characterize white matter (WM) abnormalities in infants with AHT using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and determine which microstructural abnormalities are associated with poor outcome. Retrospective DTI data from 17 infants (>3 months) with a diagnosis of AHT and a comparison cohort of 34 term infants of similar post-conceptual age (PCA) were compared using a voxel-based DTI analysis of cerebral WM. AHT cases were dichotomously classified into mild/moderate versus severe outcome. Clinical variables and conventional imaging findings were also analyzed in relation to outcome. Outcomes were classified in accordance with the Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category Score (PCPCS). Reduced axial diffusivity (AD) was shown in widespread WM regions in the AHT infants compared with controls as well as in the AHT severe outcome group compared with the AHT mild/moderate outcome group. Reduced mean diffusivity (MD) was also associated with severe outcome. Radial diffusivity (RD), conventional magnetic resonance findings, brain metric measurements, and clinical/laboratory variables (with the exception of Glascow Coma Scale) did not differ among AHT outcome groups. Findings support the unique role of DTI techniques, beyond conventional imaging, in the evaluation of microstructural WM injury of AHT. Reduced AD (likely reflecting axonal damage) and MD were associated with poor clinical outcome. DTI abnormalities may uniquely reflect AHT patterns of axonal injury that are not characterized by conventional imaging, which may have both therapeutic and prognostic implications.
| S-EPMC4171035 | biostudies-literature