Cerebral Concussion vs. Battered Child Syndrome

Left picture: The findings fit the picture of a minor trauma to head, which occurs frequently in toddlers. Right picture: Here, a battering has to be considered; possibly, the marks in the face on the right side are cigarette burn marks (figure at the top), with marks on the left body side suggesting blows from a club-like object (figure in the middle ad at the bottom). A holistic consideration of the patient will not be content merely with the diagnosis ´cerebral concussion´, but will also consider an extraordinary cause of a head injury.

Both children are awake at the moment of photographic documentation, and both have a history of trauma to the head. Left picture: Contusional marks are recognizable on the right half of the face, which all date back to the same time of trauma, and the shape of which fit the claimed trauma; the girl is still tired. Right picture: In this pathology transverse-oval and rounded marks are visible on the right half of the face; the marks have a white center, and their periphery is red (figure at the top). In addition, suffusions with a transverse or linear shape are present on the left half of the face and on the left upper arm (figure in the middle and at the bottom). Both patients have sustained a cerebral concussion.