ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 7

The Eyes of Child Abuse Victims: Autopsy Findings
Sathyavagiswaran, L
Supervising pathologist, County of Los Angeles, CA

Riffenburgh, RS
Cinical Professor, A. Ray Irvine Ocular Pathology Laboratory, Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California School of Medicine, CA

(Received 21 February 1990; accepted 23 July 1990)

Abstract

The authors studied 77 pairs of eyes removed from children who had died of suspected child abuse. Forty-seven of the cases had retinal hemorrhages. Those showing retinal hemorrhages were younger children and had fewer other stigmata of child abuse. Hemorrhages are more likely to occur in cases where the child was shaken or swung than in those with severe direct head trauma. The authors recommend that examination of the eyes be included in the autopsies of all small children who died without an obvious cause of death. Experience in both processing and reading of ocular material is necessary for reliable results.

Keywords:
pathology and biology, child abuse, eyes, hemorrhage

Paper ID: JFS13084J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13084J
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