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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:To reduce missed cases of pediatric abusive head trauma (AHT), Pediatric Brain Injury Research Network investigators derived a 4-variable AHT clinical prediction rule (CPR) with sensitivity of .96. Our objective was to validate the screening performance of this AHT CPR in a new, equivalent patient population.METHODS:We conducted a prospective, multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study. Applying the same inclusion criteria, definitional criteria for AHT, and methods used in the completed derivation study, Pediatric Brain Injury Research Network investigators captured complete clinical, historical, and radiologic data on 291 acutely head-injured children RESULTS:In this new patient population, the 4-variable AHT CPR demonstrated sensitivity of .96, specificity of .46, positive predictive value of .55, negative predictive value of .93, positive likelihood ratio of 1.67, and negative likelihood ratio of 0.09. Secondary analysis revealed that the AHT CPR identified 98% of study patients who were ultimately diagnosed with AHT.CONCLUSIONS:Four readily available variables (acute respiratory compromise before admission; bruising of the torso, ears, or neck; bilateral or interhemispheric subdural hemorrhages or collections; and any skull fractures other than an isolated, unilateral, nondiastatic, linear, parietal fracture) identify AHT with high sensitivity in young, acutely head-injured children admitted to the PICU.

Objective: The goal was to measure differences in the causes, mechanisms, acute clinical presentations, injuries, and outcomes of children Methods: Children Results: Fifty-four subjects were enrolled at 9 sites. Twenty-seven subjects underwent follow-up neurodevelopmental assessments 6 months after injury. Greatest depth of visible injury was categorized as scalp, skull, or epidural for 20 subjects, subarachnoid or subdural for 13, cortical for 10, and subcortical for 11. Compared with subjects with more-superficial injuries, subjects with subcortical injuries more frequently had been abused (odds ratio [OR]: 35.6; P < .001), more frequently demonstrated inertial injuries (P < .001), more frequently manifested acute respiratory (OR: 43.9; P < .001) and/or circulatory (OR: 60.0; P < .001) compromise, acute encephalopathy (OR: 28.5; P = .003), prolonged impairments of consciousness (OR: 8.4; P = .002), interhemispheric subdural hemorrhage (OR: 10.1; P = .019), and bilateral brain hypoxia, ischemia, or swelling (OR: 241.6; P < .001), and had lower Mental Developmental Index (P = .006) and Gross Motor Quotient (P < .001) scores 6 months after injury. Conclusion: For children

OBJECTIVE:Follow-up skeletal surveys (FUSS) are performed frequently in cases of possible physical abuse based on the evidence from small retrospective cohorts. Our objective was to determine the proportion of FUSS that identified new information in a large, multicenter population of children with concerns of physical abuse.METHODS:This was a prospective secondary analysis of an observational study of all children RESULTS:Among 2890 children enrolled in the Examining Siblings To Recognize Abuse research network, 2049 underwent skeletal survey and 796 (38.8%) had FUSS. A total of 174 (21.5%) subjects had new information identified by FUSS, including 124 (15.6%) with at least 1 new fracture and 55 (6.9%) with reassuring findings compared with the initial skeletal survey. Among cases with new fractures, the estimated likelihood of abuse increased in 41 (33%) cases, and 51 cases (41%) remained at the maximum likelihood of abuse.CONCLUSIONS:FUSS identified new information and affected the perceived likelihood of abuse in a substantial fraction of cases in which it was completed. These data support existing guidelines and, in addition, suggest that FUSS should be considered in cases with lower initial levels of concern for abuse.