Lucid interval in abusive head trauma: a systematic review.
Clémentine Aucouturier, Lise Pestourie, Céline Guilbeau-Frugier et al.
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From the abstract
Abusive head trauma (AHT) is a major cause of infant morbidity and mortality but remains a challenging diagnose, as a clear history of trauma is often lacking and witnesses are usually limited to the perpetrator. Because several caregivers may attend to the same child, determining the timing of injury is crucial for identifying the offender.
Reported results
16 studies were included: 5 case-reports or case-series, 10 retrospective studies and 1 systematic review published in 1995. Differences between studies mainly reflected how a lucid interval was defined. Studies reporting immediate symptoms defined the interval as the time to any symptoms, even nonspecific ones (e.g.
Authors' conclusions
Despite the low level of evidence of the included studies, this review suggests that symptoms occur immediately at the time of AHT, although early nonspecific signs may initially be overlooked. When combined with other methods, these findings may help experts determine the timing of AHT.