Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) of the vitreous humor and Susceptibility Weighted Imaging (SWI) of the retina in abused children with retinal hemorrhages

Abstract This study speculated that the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the vitreous humor might be altered in the setting of abusive head trauma (AHT) with retinal hemorrhages (RH). Fourty-four subjects were analyzed ( n = 20 AHT cases; n = 24 controls). There was no statistically significant difference in normalized ADC values between the cases and controls (− 0.14 and − 0.08 respectively, p = 0.46), but analysis of RH by susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) compared to dilated funduscopic exam demonstrated statistically significant correlation ( p = 0.003 and 0.012). Our results suggest that SWI serves as a more sensitive diagnostic tool for detection of ocular injury in AHT than ADC.