Paediatric trauma imaging: why do we need separate guidance?

Abstract

It is often assumed that the pattern of injury in children mirrors that of the adult population, but children have different anatomical proportions and the relative elasticity of their tissues results in different injury patterns. The authors of this review are members of the British Society of Paediatric Radiologists subgroup and developed the recently published(47) paediatric trauma protocols for imaging children involved in major blunt trauma. The following article has been written to bring these guidelines to the attention of the wider community of UK radiologists, and explain the rationale behind the recommendations.