Affiliation:
1. Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), La Laguna Tenerife Spain
Abstract
AbstractObjectiveWe analyzed the veracity of caregiver‐provided histories when infants present with intracranial pathologies and abusive head trauma (AHT) is suspected.MethodsA comparison of medical findings is made using data from 335 infants with acute intracranial pathologies and no extracranial findings associated with abuse. Two null hypotheses were tested: (1) that cases where caregivers reported accidental trauma have similar medical findings to independently witnessed accidents; and (2) that cases where caregivers reported no trauma have similar medical findings as cases where caregivers reported accidental trauma.ResultsThe first null hypothesis is not rejected, corroborating caregiver histories of accidental trauma, yet such cases are diagnosed as AHT at significantly higher rates than accidents witnessed by unbiased independent observers. The second null hypothesis is rejected, corroborating caregiver histories that no trauma occurred.ConclusionsData suggest that caregivers can provide valuable diagnostic information when infants present with acute intracranial pathologies and suggest substantial rates of misdiagnosis of AHT.
Reference11 articles.
1. Relative contributions of history-taking, physical examination, and laboratory investigation to diagnosis and management of medical outpatients.
2. Contributions of the history, physical examination, and laboratory investigation in making medical diagnoses;Peterson MC;West J Med,1992
3. A study on relative contributions of the history, physical examination and investigations in making medical diagnosis;Roshan M;J Assoc Physicians India,2000
4. Anamnese und klinische Untersuchung in der Notfall- und Intensivmedizin
5. The Crying Infant: Diagnostic Testing and Frequency of Serious Underlying Disease