Intra-abdominal injuries in the battered baby syndrome

Abstract

In the period 1961 to 1970 six battered children suffering from intraabdominal visceral injuries were treated in the children's hospitals of Manchester. In addition to the signs of visceral lesions all the children were found to have histories and physical signs clearly pointing to the diagnosis of the battered baby syndrome. Epigastric and small intestinal injuries predominated in these children, and in this respect the pattern of trauma differs from that seen in children injured in road traffic and other accidents. Delay in referral contributed strongly to the death of two of the battered children.