SynthesisEuropean radiology2026
Post-mortem imaging in suspected child physical abuse: a systematic review.
Synthesis in European radiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Current Practices in Postmortem Investigation of Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesAs 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
methodsFollowing 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.
resultsEighteen 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.
conclusionPM 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. KEY POINTS: Question What is the evidence for PM radiologic imaging in suspected physical abuse of children? Findings PM imaging complements autopsy, but diagnostic accuracy varies by modality. Study heterogeneity and bias limit current evidence. Clinical relevance PM imaging can detect injuries missed at autopsy in child abuse cases. Standardised protocols and higher-quality studies are urgently needed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.