Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 20, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.
Pediatric Emergency Department, University Children's Hospital, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Int J Legal Med. 2021 Jul;135(4):1537-1540. doi: 10.1007/s00414-021-02513-2. Epub 2021 Feb 15.
The examination of children suspected of being abused poses a great challenge for forensic pathologists. The risk of misjudgment is high and can have serious consequences for the child and the family. In unclear cases, an assessment should always be carried out on an interdisciplinary basis with the involvement of the relevant disciplines such as pediatrics, dermatology, or radiology. We present the case of a 2.5-year-old boy who was presented by his parents at the Pediatric Emergency Department of a Swiss University Hospital due to fever and weight loss. During the physical examination, conspicuous findings on the abdomen were present, and the responsible emergency physicians informed the child protective services. A clinical forensic examination occurred on behalf of the child protection services. The abdomen of the child showed several symmetrical scars. The initial questioning of the parents did not provide clear information about the origin of the injuries. Further professional questioning of the family by the child protective services concluded that the injuries were the result of a traditional medical treatment in Somalia, which occurred several weeks before.
对怀疑遭受虐待的儿童进行检查对法医病理学家来说是一个巨大的挑战。判断错误的风险很高，可能对儿童及其家庭造成严重后果。在不明确的情况下，应始终在儿科、皮肤科或放射科等相关学科的参与下进行跨学科评估。我们报告了一例 2.5 岁男孩的病例，其父母因发热和体重减轻将其带到瑞士大学医院儿科急诊室就诊。在体格检查中，腹部出现明显的发现，负责的急诊医生通知了儿童保护服务机构。代表儿童保护服务机构进行了临床法医检查。孩子的腹部有几处对称的疤痕。对父母的初步询问没有提供关于损伤起源的明确信息。儿童保护服务机构对家庭的进一步专业询问得出结论，这些损伤是几周前在索马里进行的传统医疗治疗的结果。
