Citation

Slaughter L, Brown CR. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 1992; 166(1 Pt 1): 83-86.

Affiliation

San Luis Obispo General Hospital, Suspected Abuse Response Team (SART), CA 93401.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1733223

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Conventional rape examination protocols have been poor in yielding genital findings (10% to 30% typically). We report our experience with a revised protocol employing colposcopy to perform genital examinations of victims and to document findings. STUDY DESIGN: Physical examinations were performed on rape victims seen by San Luis Obispo County's Suspected Abuse Response Team between 1985 and 1990, and the results were reviewed for this study. RESULTS: Of 131 patients seen within 48 hours and who experienced penile penetration, 114 (87%) had positive findings. Colposcopic magnification allowed examiners to characterize these findings as acute mounting injuries, typically seen at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock on the posterior fourchette and consisting chiefly of lacerations, ecchymosis, and swelling. CONCLUSIONS: An examination protocol that includes colposcopy may be the most reliable means to document and characterize genital findings in rape victims and to evaluate whether findings may be linked to a reported sexual assault.

Language: en