Abstract
Several hundred children are physically abused annualy in the Czech Republic. Young age is the most important risk factor.
Physical abuse can manifest in numerous ways. Some findings have high specificity for abuse, especially when present in infants.
The radiology findings with high specificity for abuse include classic metaphyseal lesions, rib fractures and duodenal trauma. Investigating abused children is difficult because the history tends to be unreliable, children present to hospital after a significant time delay, and the children cannot provide a history themselves due to young age.
Moreover, the children often show no visible signs of trauma even in cases of severe intracranial or intraabdominal injuries. Imaging methods are helpful in recognizing skeletal, intracranial, and intraabdominal injuries, assist in their dating and differential diagnosis.
In order to yield maximum results from imaging methods, it is necessary to follow recommendations based on up-to date evidence-based medicine.