Patterns and mechanisms of injury in non-accidental injury in children (NAI)

Abstract

The relationship between the family practitioner and the radiographer and radiologist is of utmost importance. Radiographers are among the healthcare workers who are at the first point of care and often only communicate with a radiologist after an x-ray examination is performed. The role of the radiographer has been extended to pattern recognition of skeletal images and selected ultrasound examinations. In some countries radiographers perform and report on invasive radiological techniques. The communication among healthcare workers about the possibility of child abuse is of utmost importance in the suspicion/recognition of abuse. Non-accidental injury in children may or may not be accompanied by sexual abuse, but in any situation where telltale signs of abuse are recognised, further investigation is necessary. The aim of this article is to assist the family practitioner in recognising some of the unusual radiographic patterns seen in paediatric radiography together with mechanisms of what may have contributed to the debilitating injuries sustained by survivors of abuse.