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The black and white truth about domestic violence

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Abstract

The radiological findings of child abuse have been a focus of radiological education. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant health burden; however, this is not frequently illustrated in the radiology literature. Health care providers play a crucial role in screening, treating, and preventing future acts of domestic violence. Radiologists in particular are in a unique position in cases of domestic violence, unbiased by interaction with the victim and potentially the abuser. Head and neck injuries are the most common; however, any part of the body is at risk for injury in cases of domestic violence. Fostering awareness of domestic violence and familiarizing radiologists with the most common imaging findings of IPV can help these specialists make the proper diagnosis and improve patient care.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Patricia Abbitt, MD, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA for topic inspiration, and Thomas Grant, MD and Sabeen Dhand, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA for image contribution.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Northwestern Memorial Hospital Feinberg School of Medicine, 676 North St. Clair Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Sonya Bhole & Carla Harmath

  2. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Aaron Bhole

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  1. Sonya Bhole
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  2. Aaron Bhole
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  3. Carla Harmath
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Correspondence to Sonya Bhole.

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Bhole, S., Bhole, A. & Harmath, C. The black and white truth about domestic violence. Emerg Radiol 21, 407–412 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-014-1225-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-014-1225-1

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