Post-mortem imaging in suspected child physical abuse: a systematic review

Objectives As post-mortem (PM) imaging in children becomes more common, there is a need to review the available evidence for its diagnostic yield in suspected child physical abuse. The aim of this review is to synthesise current evidence, assess study quality, and identify ongoing challenges.

Materials and methods Following PRISMA guidelines, databases were searched until 31 December 2024. Original research articles reporting data on at least ten children with PM imaging in the context of physical abuse were included. Titles and abstracts were screened by two expert reviewers; full texts were assessed by a third, independent reviewer and one of the previous reviewers. Data was extracted by one of 12 experts and independently verified. The study risk of bias was evaluated with the ROBINS-I tool. Study heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis, resulting in descriptive synthesis.

Results Eighteen out of 1687 potential papers were included. Seven described PM radiography, five post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT), four both PM radiography plus PMCT, and two post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging (PMMR). All but one were retrospective, and most (11/18, 61%) had a moderate-to-high risk of bias. Post-mortem skeletal survey (PMSS) detected subtle fractures, particularly corner metaphyseal fractures. PMCT provided a high-resolution assessment of injuries, particularly rib fractures. PMMR contributed soft-tissue and intracranial detail. All studies emphasised the importance of correlating autopsy findings. Technical variation and potential biases limited direct comparisons between studies.

Conclusion PM imaging can reveal important injury patterns that may be overlooked by autopsy. Nevertheless, standardised imaging methods and larger prospective trials are needed to reduce bias and establish best-practice guidelines.