Abusive Head Trauma

Introduction to Abusive Head Trauma (AHT)

  • Abusive head trauma (AHT) is a well-recognized constellation of brain injuries caused by the directed application of force to an infant or young child, resulting in physical injury to the head and/or its contents. (2)
  • Approximately 30/100,000 children sustain AHT annually, most <1year.
  • Physicians from distinct fields including pediatrics, neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, critical care medicine, radiology, neuroradiology and physiatry have contributed to the scientific data that support AHT as a firmly established medical diagnosis.
  • The clinical diagnosis of AHT has been confirmed by pathologists, forensic pathologists and neuropathologists through autopsies and postmortem research.

REFERENCES:

  • Christian et al., 2015

CHAMP Education for Child Abuse Medical Providers

Accessible Version

Abusive head trauma (AHT) is a well-recognized constellation of brain injuries caused by the directed application of force to an infant or young child, resulting in physical injury to the head and/or its contents. Approximately 30/100,000 children sustain AHT annually, most <1year. Physicians from distinct fields including pediatrics, neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, critical care medicine, radiology, neuroradiology and physiatry have contributed to the scientific data that support AHT as a firmly established medical diagnosis. The clinical diagnosis of AHT has been confirmed by pathologists, forensic pathologists and neuropathologists through autopsies and postmortem research.