Use of skeletal surveys to evaluate for physical abuse: analysis of 703 consecutive skeletal surveys

The goals were to assess the use of the skeletal survey (SS) to evaluate for physical abuse in a large consecutive sample, to identify characteristics of children most likely to have unsuspected fractures, and to determine how often SS results influenced directly the decision to make a diagnosis of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Pediatrics (Evanston) 2011-01, Vol.127 (1), p.e47-e52
Main Authors:	Duffy, Shanna O, Squires, Janet, Fromkin, Janet B, Berger, Rachel P
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Bone surveys Child abuse Child abuse & neglect Child Abuse - diagnosis Child, Preschool Childrens health Demographics Diagnosis Female Fractures, Bone - diagnosis Fractures, Bone - etiology Humans Infant Infant, Newborn Influence Male Morbidity Musculoskeletal diseases Musculoskeletal system Pediatrics Retrospective Studies Studies
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Summary:	The goals were to assess the use of the skeletal survey (SS) to evaluate for physical abuse in a large consecutive sample, to identify characteristics of children most likely to have unsuspected fractures, and to determine how often SS results influenced directly the decision to make a diagnosis of abuse. A retrospective, descriptive study of a consecutive sample of children who underwent an SS at a single children's hospital over 4 years was performed. Data on demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, SS results, and effects of SS results on clinical diagnoses were collected. A positive SS result was defined as a SS which identified a previously unsuspected fracture(s). Of the 703 SSs, 10.8% yielded positive results. Children
ISSN:	0031-4005 1098-4275 1098-4275