Citation

Wong G. J. Paediatr. Child Health 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Child Protection Unit, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/jpc.14691

PMID

31774606

Abstract

The past 40 years have seen significant changes in the way children's genital findings are interpreted in the context of suspected sexual abuse. Many findings previously thought to be diagnostic of sexual abuse are now recognised to be normal variants, caused by other medical conditions or have insufficient specificity to make a definite diagnosis of abuse. Use of the Adams classification in recent years has provided a common language and practical framework for describing and categorising genital findings in children. This review article addresses our current understanding of how to interpret genital findings in children, the evidence on which this interpretation is based, gaps that remain in our knowledge and suggestions for future research.

© 2019 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Language: en

Keywords

child sexual abuse; genital injury; medical finding