NCJ Number
168497
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 21 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1997) Pages: 1009-1014
Date Published
1997
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Data used by John Caffey to describe the whiplash shaken infant syndrome were compared with recent data to determine whether the syndrome Caffey described has changed or if later professionals have changed the syndrome into what is now called the shaken infant syndrome.
Abstract
The literature review was accompanied by a retrospective review of 71 children who were under age 3 years and had a subdural hematoma caused by nonaccidental means. These data were compared to the data from the 27 case examples offered by Caffey in 1972 and Caffey's other descriptions in 1974 and 1946. The review of the recent literature revealed that today's definition of shaken infant syndrome includes cases in which impact trauma was involved. In addition, the perpetrator was more often male, fractures were more often to ribs rather than long bones, and admissions of shaking and other trauma occurred more often. Findings demonstrated both that the diagnostic parameters have changed from those in Caffey's original whiplash shaken infant syndrome and that the syndrome has also changed to reflect changes in medical diagnosis and society. Tables and 9 references (Author abstract modified)