The Pancreas in Child Abuse

The pancreas can be a critical indicator of inflicted injury in young children. Due to its retroperitoneal location and the amount of incursion of the abdomen required to cause injury, the pancreas is unlikely to be significantly injured in minor trauma incidents. Typical blunt force injury mechanisms for the pancreas include motor vehicle collisions, inflicted injury from blows or kicks, and bicycle handlebar injuries with deep incursion of the abdomen. The death of a toddler is described in which a pancreatic injury was a critical indicator of abusive injury rather than the claimed accidental fall or cardiopulmonary resuscitation-related trauma. Review of the medical literature regarding the epidemiology, etiology, and pathology of childhood pancreatic injuries is discussed. Pancreatic injury is a marker of severe blunt force trauma and should rouse a suspicion of nonaccidental trauma in young children. In the absence of a severe, high velocity or deep abdominal incursion traumatic mechanism, such as motor vehicle collision or bicycle handlebar injury, pancreatic laceration specifically is a marker of inflicted injury in children under the age of five. Acad Forensic Pathol. 2018 8(2): 219-238.