INTERCRANIAL LESIONS IN ABUSED CHILDREN ARE DIFFICULT TO DETECT DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF EXTERNAL LESIONS. CRANIAL COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IS AN IMPORTANT DEVICE FOR DETECTING SUCH INJURIES WHICH CAN LEAD TO SERIOUS DAMAGE OR DEATH. THE 13 ABUSED CHILDREN WHO WERE SCANNED FOR INJURIES WERE ALL AT LEAST 2 YEARS OLD. IN FOUR OF THE CASES, NO EXTERNAL TRAUMA WAS DETECTIBLE ON FACE AND BODY. IN THE REMAINING CASES THE CLASSICAL INDICATIONS OF CHILD ABUSE (FRACTURES, SKIN LACERATIONS) WERE PRESENT. IN FIVE CASES, CRANIAL COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY SHOWED CRANIAL OEDEMA OR CRANIAL SWELLING; ONE CASE ALSO HAD CONTUSIONS OF THE TRUNK ACCOMPANIED BY OEDEMA. SEVEN CASES HAD SUBDURAL HEMATOMA. THESE FIGURES SUPPORT THE RESULTS OF AN AMERICAN STUDY RECENTLY CONDUCTED AT THE PHILADELPHIA CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF 26 ABUSED CHILDREN. WITH YOUNG CHILDREN, THE HEAD IS PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO INJURIES, AND SUBDURAL HEMATOMA FOLLOWED BY SERIOUS AFTEREFFECTS ARE FREQUENT. SINCE HEAD INJURIES MAY BE PRESENT WITHOUT EXTERNAL LESIONS, CRANIAL COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY SHOULD BE APPLIED ROUTINELY WITH ABUSED CHILDREN. THE ARTICLE CONTAINS 12 REFERENCES AND REPRODUCTIONS OF THE SCANNER PHOTOGRAPHS. --IN FRENCH (SAJ)