Can A Concussion Be Ruled Out In A Child After An Accident?

Posted on Sat, 4 Feb 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 4 Feb 2017 Answered on

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : I witnessed a father shake/drop/force his 2 and a half yr child in a very fast vertical motion while holding him around the chest in order to stop him crying. The child did stop crying and dropped his head on the fathers shoulder with no more movement or sound. When I next saw the child his speech was hypernasal and has remained that way. The child has a deviated vellum. Another person also witnessed the father repeating 98th same action to his child. The child has been returned asleep on two occasions after being with the father for one hour ,with one time not waking until the next day. I took him to a neurologist who said that the child would have to have been in a car crash for any brain injury to occur. A children's nurse said that this action would cause brain stem injury. The child also lost memory of many words. Could this vertical shaking cause tbi? Father is incarcerated for other family violence. I am the temporary conservator and not related to the father.I need evidence for termination of fathers rights.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Erion Spaho (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Brain MRI is necessary to get a correct answer.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for using HealthcareMagic.

I have read your question and understand your concerns.

It is true that there may be brain injury after violent shaking of a toddler or a child, and regarding to symptoms and mechanism of damage you refer, there is actually suspicion of such damages.

For both reasons ( legal and medical ) a brain MRI is necessary.

MRI of brain also may give valuable information about the extension of such damages if any and could guide treatment possibilities.

Please discuss with a Pediatrician specialized in infantile neurology about these issues.

Hope you found the answer helpful.

Let me know if I can assist you further.

Kind regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee