Special Feature: Image inspection of child abuse
Image assessment of child abuse, and response based on the evaluation
2020 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 115-122
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2020 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 115-122
The medical diagnosis of child maltreatment cannot be made simply on the basis of these signs alone. It should be a comprehensive decision, and the statements of the parents must also be viewed as objective data. In this diagnostic process, diagnostic imaging information is an extremely powerful source of information.
The medical/welfare response, which prioritizes “child safety” at the initial stage, and the judicial-criminal response to question “individual responsibility” at the final stage are quite different, but can be interconnected.
An imaging report has the same legal value as a medical record. To avoid the misinterpretation of a determination based on imaging findings alone, it should state something like, “Please consider the consistency with the clinical course of events”, and instead of speculative statements when it is difficult to comment, it should state something like, “The opinions of specialists need to be confirmed”.
Few hospitals still have radiologists formally participating as members of the hospital child protection team. Radiologists, who can maintain an objective distance from parents, are in a position to exert a pivotal role. Pediatricians have high hopes for them.
