Globe rupture and nonaccidental trauma: two case reports

The association of globe rupture and nonaccidental trauma is not established in the literature. We present 2 cases involving a 9-month-old infant girl and a 14-month-old girl who experienced inflicted traumatic globe rupture. In the first case, the infant had isolated eye findings on physical examination, but extensive injuries were revealed on the skeletal survey and computed tomography of the head. In the second case, the toddler had a prior history of abuse, so our index of suspicion for nonaccidental trauma was heightened. Despite isolated eye findings on physical examination, this toddler also had evidence of additional injury on skeletal survey. These cases illustrate the importance of considering nonaccidental trauma in infants and toddlers who present with globe rupture and performing a complete evaluation for child abuse if no history is given or if the history is inconsistent with the injury.