ReviewPediatric radiology2018
Consensus statement on abusive head trauma in infants and young children.
Review in Pediatric radiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 127 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
127 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 343 citations in OpenAlex.
- Subarachnoid space in infancy and early childhood: a systematic review of measurements.Pediatric radiology · 2026Pooled it
- Has This Child Experienced Physical Abuse?: The Rational Clinical Examination Systematic Review.JAMA · 2025Pooled it
- ESR Essentials: imaging of suspected child abuse-practice recommendations by the European Society of Paediatric Radiology.European radiology · 2025Guideline
- Modeling of inflicted head injury by shaking trauma in children: what can we learn? : Update to parts I&II: A systematic review of animal, mathematical and physical models.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2025Pooled it
- Can Hemorrhagic Stroke Genetics Help Forensic Diagnosis in Pediatric Age (<5 Years Old)?Genes · 2024Pooled it
- Traumatic brain injury biomarkers in pediatric patients: a systematic review.Neurosurgical review · 2022Pooled it
- Variations in Guidelines for Diagnosis of Child Physical Abuse in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.JAMA network open · 2021Pooled it
- [Bridging vein injuries in shaken baby syndrome : Forensic-radiological meta-analysis with special focus on the tadpole sign].Der Radiologe · 2021Pooled it
- Clinical characteristics, neurosurgical management, and outcomes of pediatric abusive head trauma: a 30-year single-center study.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026Article
- Interpretation, Investigation and Diagnostic Balance in Suspected Child Abuse.Journal of paediatrics and child health · 2026Article
- Spread of "triad diagnostics" in suspected Shaken Baby Syndrome.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026Article
- Pediatric abusive spine trauma: a review of whole-spine imaging essentials.Pediatric radiology · 2026Review
- Magnetic resonance imaging-based detection of retinal hemorrhages in a multicenter cohort of abusive head trauma.Pediatric radiology · 2026Article
- AHT diagnoses: The influences of clinical presentation and evidence of impact.Child abuse & neglect · 2026Article
- The value of magnetic resonance imaging in forensic investigation: a mapping review.International journal of legal medicine · 2026Review
- Reference Trajectories of Extra-Axial Cerebrospinal Fluid during Childhood and Adolescence Defined in a Clinically Acquired MRI Dataset.Radiology. Artificial intelligence · 2026Article
- Guidance for a clinical and forensic diagnosis of pediatric abusive head trauma: a narrative review.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- Comparing the kinematics related to inflicted head injury between violent shaking of a 6-week-old and a 1-year-old infant surrogate.Royal Society open science · 2025Article
- Article
- Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Injury: The Role of Expert Witness Testimony and a Recent Case Development.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2025Article
67 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 14 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Abusive head trauma (AHT) is the leading cause of fatal head injuries in children younger than 2 years. A multidisciplinary team bases this diagnosis on history, physical examination, imaging and laboratory findings. Because the etiology of the injury is multifactorial (shaking, shaking and impact, impact, etc.) the current best and inclusive term is AHT. There is no controversy concerning the medical validity of the existence of AHT, with multiple components including subdural hematoma, intracranial and spinal changes, complex retinal hemorrhages, and rib and other fractures that are inconsistent with the provided mechanism of trauma. The workup must exclude medical diseases that can mimic AHT. However, the courtroom has become a forum for speculative theories that cannot be reconciled with generally accepted medical literature. There is no reliable medical evidence that the following processes are causative in the constellation of injuries of AHT: cerebral sinovenous thrombosis, hypoxic-ischemic injury, lumbar puncture or dysphagic choking/vomiting. There is no substantiation, at a time remote from birth, that an asymptomatic birth-related subdural hemorrhage can result in rebleeding and sudden collapse. Further, a diagnosis of AHT is a medical conclusion, not a legal determination of the intent of the perpetrator or a diagnosis of murder. We hope that this consensus document reduces confusion by recommending to judges and jurors the tools necessary to distinguish genuine evidence-based opinions of the relevant medical community from legal arguments or etiological speculations that are unwarranted by the clinical findings, medical evidence and evidence-based literature.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.