May 25, 2012
Topics A-Z Children's Health Child abuse investigation: Spiral fracture in an infant
Child abuse investigation: Spiral fracture in an infant |
|
Dear Ask The Doctor: I am a police detective and am currently working on a case with a 13 day old infant who was admitted with a broken femur. It was diagnosed as a spiral fracture and there are no signs of bruising or redness. The parents both say the child was never unattended and suffered no trauma or falls of any kind. Is it possible for this to have been some sort of birth trauma that was not noticed? The mother is a pediatric nurse and claims she saw no signs of the injury until the day they took the child to the hospital. I am asking is there any possible or common causes for this fracture to which no one would have seen? Thank you Dear Melanie: A spiral fracture of the femur could have been sustained during birth given specific conditions; If the child was a large baby (greater than 10lbs), breech delivery or has a bone diseases such as Osteogenesis Imperfecta then he is predisposed to fractures from insignificant trauma such as can occur during delivery. It is possible that the child sustained birth trauma that went unnoticed, though this would be a unusual. |
|
| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 28 June 2011 ) |
|
|
|
|
