Yücel-Beyaztaş F, Oral R, Bütün C, Beyaztaş A, Büyükkayhan D. (Department of Pediatrics, Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey). A study of four physical child abuse cases. Çocuk Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları Dergisi 2009; 52: 75-80. A physically abused child may present with findings ranging from minimal soft tissue lesions to intracranial injury leading to death. Child abuse is an important public health problem most prevalent in children under five years of age. Timely medical diagnosis of child abuse through detailed history and physical examination is of paramount importance to prevent further abuse and establish supportive services to the families. We present four cases in this paper, two of which had a fatal outcome. These cases presenting with previous chronic abuse indicate that there is great need for education to increase public and multidisciplinary professional awareness of child abuse. Another observation is that legislation on interdisciplinary community collaboration and professional in-service training is very important in the recognition, proper management, and prevention of child abuse. We hope the presentation of these cases will help the medical community revisit their responsibility in recognizing and preventing child abuse. Key words: child abuse, physical abuse, neglect, forensic medicine.

Keywords: çocuk istismarı, fiziksel istismar, ihmal, adli tıp