Le syndrome du bébé secoué : quelles lésions en imagerie ?

Abstract

Non-accidental brain trauma (also called shaken baby syndrome) represent the main cause for morbidity and mortality in the context of child abuse. It often occur in young infants aged less than 8months. The shaking leading to brain injuries are very violent and sometimes associated with a final impact. Intracranial injuries may be isolated without skeletal trauma or bruising. In any suspicion of such a diagnosis, emergency hospitalization is indicated. Brain CT, easy to perform in emergency, is the diagnostic key. It discloses diffuse subdural hematomas in typical sites as vertex, interhemispheric space and tentorium. There is no clear background of trauma and the related story is changing over time. The 3D analysis of the skull looks for signs of recent impact as a fracture that is sometimes complex and/or a soft tissue swelling of the scalp. Intraparenchymal injuries (contusions, tearing, and overall anoxic ischemic injuries) are better analyzed with MRI. The prognosis depends on their extent. Ophtalmologic examination is systematically performed looking for retinal hemorrhages (around one third of cases) which may be very subtle. Bruising is a major diagnostic sign, but inconstantly present. A precise datation of skeletal and/or brain injuries is not possible with imaging and the only indication of use is to establish the presence of "age different lesions". This indicates repeated trauma and thereby a high risk of recurrence.