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The diagnosis and management of abusive head injuries in infancy in Egypt

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Abstract

Child death owed to abuse and negligence is not uncommon, and its real incidence is unknown. The most common cause of fatal child abuse is head trauma. Abusive head injuries (AHI) most often involve brain injury of infants and young children. The outcomes of AHI vary from complete recovery to severe brain damage and death. This article highlights the diagnosis and management of AHI in infancy in Egypt, with a special focus on the social, medical, and legal aspects. The authors emphasize the importance of reporting cases suspected of AHI to the relevant authorities; this will guard against the recurrence of abuse to the child and will have a positive impact on the community.

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Not applicable: no datasets were generated during this study.

Abbreviations

AHI:

Abusive head injuries

CDC:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CT:

Computed tomography

EFMA:

Egyptian Forensic Medicine Authority

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

SBS:

Shaken baby syndrome

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurosurgery Department, Kasr Alainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    Mohamed A. El Beltagy & Mohammad Elbaroody

  2. Neurosurgery Department, Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt (CCHE, Cairo, 57357), Egypt

    Mohamed A. El Beltagy

Authors
  1. Mohamed A. El Beltagy
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  2. Mohammad Elbaroody
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Both authors have written, read, and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mohamed A. El Beltagy.

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El Beltagy, M.A., Elbaroody, M. The diagnosis and management of abusive head injuries in infancy in Egypt. Childs Nerv Syst 38, 2365–2369 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-022-05806-y

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