TY - JOUR PY - 1990// TI - Comparison of genital examination techniques in prepubertal girls JO - Pediatrics A1 - Wells, R. A1 - Simon, M. A1 - Voris, Joan A1 - McCann, J. SP - 182 EP - 187 VL - 85 IS - 2 N2 - The results of three separate methods used to examine prepubertal girls are compared and a technique for measuring hymenal orifice diameters from colposcopic photographs is presented. A total of 172 girls who were examined by three techniques during their evaluation in a clinic for suspected child sexual abuse victims were studied. Their ages ranged from 10 months to 11 years with a mean of 5 years, 8 months. The examination techniques used were the supine position with labial separation, the supine position with labial traction, and the knee-chest position. The knee-chest position (98%) and the supine traction method (96%) proved to be superior to the supine separation technique (86%) in opening the vaginal introitus. The largest vertical transhymenal diameters were produced in the knee-chest position, whereas the greatest transverse horizontal spans were generated by the supine traction procedure. Other soft tissue changes were noted but not quantified. A multimethod approach to the examination of the sexually abused child is recommended to take advantage of the strengths of each technique.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0031-4005 UR - http://dx.doi.org/ ID - ref1 ER -