Short Distance Falls and Shaken Baby Syndrome: Case Report

Falls from short distances very rarely cause serious lesions in infants. However, if an infant is brought to a doctor with a serious clinical presentation and if there is a history of a fall from a short distance, the history should be detailed. In the presence of retinal haemorrhage or subdural haemorrhage, shaken baby syndrome (SBS) should certainly be taken into consideration. Six cases who were admitted to the Pediatrics Emergency Department of Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine in the previous year with convulsion and a history of fall from a short distance were examined. Fundoscopic examination was normal in three cases while there was unilateral retinal haemorrhage in two cases and papilledema in one case. There was intracranial haemorrhage in three cases, intracranial haemorrhage and skull fracture in one case, cerebellar and cerebral atrophy in one case. CT was normal in one case. The distance offal! was claimed to be 50-100 cm. Medical history, physical examination and radiological findings of children with convulsion and history of fall from a short distance should be evaluated for SBS.