Background: The presumed mechanism of rib fractures in abuse is violent grasping of the torso causing anterior-posterior chest compression. We hypothesized an asymmetrical distribution of rib fractures in abused infants given the greater incidence of right-hand dominance within the general population.
Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize rib fractures in abused children, particularly sidedness; additionally, we evaluated the sidedness of other abusive skeletal fractures.