MORPHOMETRICAL ANALYSIS OF RETINAL HEMORRHAGES IN THE SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME

A morphometrical analysis of retinal hemorrhages was performed in case s of physical child abuse including the shaken baby syndrome and in co ntrols (severe head injury, intravital brain death, non-traumatic intr acranial hemorrhage, SIDS including cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Th e extent of the retinal hemorrhages was significantly different betwee n both groups. In all cases of physical child abuse, massive retinal h emorrhages in at least one eye could be found ranging between a maximu m value of 19.2 and 73.2% of the entire retinal area. In contrast, onl y two cases of the control group (severe head injury with skull fractu res and intracranial bleeding following traffic accident or fall) show ed slight hemorrhages of 3.33 or 1.18% of the retinal area but only in one eye. Therefore, the results provide evidence that massive intrare tinal hemorrhages indicate violent shaking - in particular in associat ion with other signs of physical child abuse.