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The Extremities

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Forensic Aspects of Pediatric Fractures

Abstract

In his original publication from 1962 on ‘The battered child syndrome’, Kempe calls the child’s arms and legs the handles used to inflict trauma [1]. This may lead to fractures, in particular of the long bones. However, in mobile children fractures of arms and legs are also frequently caused by accidents. Depending on the force of the impact, specific fractures will occur in specific parts of the long bones. Sometimes their location is an indicator for child abuse. In other cases, the anamnesis and the level of development of the child will make it possible to differentiate between accidental and non-accidental injuries.

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Bilo, R.A.C., Robben, S.G.F., van Rijn, R.R. (2010). The Extremities. In: Forensic Aspects of Pediatric Fractures. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-78716-7_5

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