Linked Life Data

21320759

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/21320759

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1-3
pubmed:dateCreated
2011-5-3
pubmed:abstractText
Not many case reports of suspected child abuse as assessed solely on skeletal remains are available. Forensic anthropologists have intimate knowledge of normal skeletal anatomy, bone trauma and processes of healing of bone and may therefore be of help in suspected cases of child abuse. Patterns of trauma in juvenile skeletal remains which are suggestive of abuse include fractures in different phases of healing, multiple fractures, typical fractures on ribs and long bones and severe, complicated cranial fractures. The aim of this paper is to report on the findings of the analysis of the skeletal remains of a 3.5 years old boy. Forensic pathological examination indicated that the boy had died from a massive cranial fracture, with multiple injuries present to the rest of the body. After the body had been buried for some time, it was exhumed and we were requested to look for signs of chronic, long-term abuse. Findings included a massive cranial fracture, another fracture in the roof of the orbit, two areas of non-specific subperiosteal bone growth and several untreated carious teeth. No clear healed fracture could be found, except for a possible healed cranial base fracture which stretched transversely across the petrosal bone. This area showed signs of recent bone activity. The court decided that this was not enough evidence of chronic abuse and found the accused guilty of murder but not of chronic child abuse. This case illustrates the difficulty to obtain clear signs of chronic injury on juvenile remains.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
May
pubmed:issn
1872-6283
pubmed:author
pubmed:copyrightInfo
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:day
20
pubmed:volume
208
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
e6-9
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2011
pubmed:articleTitle
Case report: Forensic anthropological assessment in a suspected case of child abuse from South Africa.
pubmed:affiliation
Forensic Anthropology Research Centre, Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa. maryna.steyn@up.ac.za
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Case Reports