Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31065793›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of legal medicine2020

"Perimortem" total body CT-scan examination in severely injured children: an informative insight into the causes of death.

Sue Antúnez, David Grevent, Nathalie Boddaert, Estelle Vergnaud, Antonio Vecchione, Ophélie Ferrant-Azoulay, Gilles Orliaguet, Philippe G Meyer

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Article in International journal of legal medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Mechanical trauma in children and adolescents in Berlin.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2025
    Article
  2. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Sue AntúnezForensic Medical Unit, Unité Médico Judiciaire des Yvelines (UMJ 78), Centre Hospitalier Versailles Le Chesnay, Le Chesnay, France. sue.antunez@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5343-4377
David GreventPaediatric Radiology Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Necker Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Descartes-Paris 5, Paris, France.
Nathalie BoddaertPaediatric Radiology Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Necker Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Descartes-Paris 5, Paris, France.
Estelle VergnaudDepartment of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Critical Care, and SAMU de Paris, Paediatric Neurosurgical Critical Care Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Necker Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
Antonio VecchioneDepartment of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Critical Care, and SAMU de Paris, Paediatric Neurosurgical Critical Care Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Necker Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
Ophélie Ferrant-AzoulayForensic Medical Unit, Unité Médico Judiciaire des Yvelines (UMJ 78), Centre Hospitalier Versailles Le Chesnay, Le Chesnay, France.
Gilles OrliaguetDepartment of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Critical Care, and SAMU de Paris, Paediatric Neurosurgical Critical Care Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Necker Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
Philippe G MeyerDepartment of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Critical Care, and SAMU de Paris, Paediatric Neurosurgical Critical Care Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Necker Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris · FRCentre Hospitalier de Versailles · FRHôpital Necker-Enfants Malades · FR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo report routine practice of "perimortem" CT-scan imaging to determine the causes of death in children dying from severe accidental injuries within the first hours following hospital admission. SETTINGS: Trauma center of a University Pediatric Hospital.

methodsA retrospective study was conducted in children (0 to 15 years old) referred for severe trauma (GCS ≤ 8) to a regional pediatric trauma center, presenting with at least spontaneous cardiac rhythm and dying within the first 12 h after admission. "Perimortem" CT-scan consisted in high-resolution, contrast-enhanced, full-body CT-scan imaging, performed whatever child's clinical status. Lethal and associated lesions found were analyzed and classified according to validated scales. The comparison between clinical and radiological examinations and CT-scan findings evaluated the accuracy of clinical examination to predict lethal lesions.

resultsCT-scan performed in 73 children detected 132 potentially lethal lesions, at least 2 lesions in 63%, and 1 in 37% of the cases. More frequent lethal lesions were brain (43%), and chest injuries (33%), followed by abdominal (12%), and cervical spine injuries (12%). Clinical and minimal radiological examinations were poorly predictive for identifying abdominal/chest lesions. Clinical and imaging data provided to the medical examiner were considered sufficient to identify the cause of death, and to deliver early burial certificates in 70 children. Only three legal autopsies were commanded.

conclusionsPerimortem CT imaging could provide an insight into the causes of death in traumatized children. Performed on an emergency basis near death, it eliminates the difficulties encountered in forensic radiology. It could be a possible alternative to full-scale forensic examination, at least regarding elucidation of the potential, or highly probable causes of death.

Indexed as

Cause of DeathForensic MedicineTomography, X-Ray ComputedWhole Body ImagingAccidental InjuriesAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolFemaleFranceHospitals, PediatricHumansInfantMalePredictive Value of TestsRetrospective StudiesCT-scanDeathForensic radiologyPediatric trauma

Identifiers

PMID31065793
OpenAlexW2944328222

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Registered trials

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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.