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Ocular manifestations in shaken baby syndrome
Singapore Medical Journal
|August 1, 1995
Insights
Diagnosing child abuse can be difficult without obvious signs. Shaken baby syndrome often presents with only eye injuries, including intraocular and intracranial hemorrhages, leading to poor visual outcomes for infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Ophthalmology
- Forensic Medicine
Background:
- Child abuse diagnosis is challenging, especially without external physical evidence.
- Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is a severe form of abusive head trauma in infants.
- Ocular manifestations are key diagnostic indicators in SBS.
Observation:
- Two cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome are presented.
- The hallmark signs observed were intraocular and intracranial hemorrhages.
- These findings are consistent with the typical presentation of SBS.
Findings:
- Intraocular hemorrhages are a consistent sign in Shaken Baby Syndrome.
- Intracranial hemorrhages frequently accompany ocular signs in SBS.
- The combination of these hemorrhages strongly suggests abusive head trauma.
Implications:
- Early diagnosis of SBS is critical for intervention and potential prevention of further abuse.
- Prompt recognition of ocular signs can aid in diagnosing SBS when other physical signs are absent.
- The poor visual prognosis highlights the severe consequences of SBS and the need for protective measures for infants.
Abstract:
In the absence of external physical signs, child abuse is not easy to diagnose. Shaken baby syndrome is a unique form of child abuse where the only consistent external physical signs are its ocular manifestations. We report two cases which illustrate the typical presentation, with hallmarks of this syndrome, namely intraocular and intracranial haemorrhages. The visual prognosis of these infants are usually poor.