Limitations of review findings
- Only 5 / 88 included studies were comparative and none were case control, thus limiting definition of distinguishing features between abusive and accidental injury
- Due to the large number of highly selected case studies / series, meta-analysis was not possible
- Many large scale studies of blunt abdominal injury had to be excluded as it was not clear whether or not abuse had been considered as a possible aetiology, or where this was mentioned there was inadequate confirmation of abuse
- Case studies / series afford considerable clinical detail of the included cases, however the generalisability of these findings is limited
- Only 18 / 88 included studies were published in the last 10 years
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