Medical Evaluations Then and Now

Abstract

The role of medicine for children suspected of having been sexually abused has advanced significantly since the 1980s. Newer tests such as DNA and nucleic acid amplification have added to the detection of perpetrators and disease, respectively. Non-acute examination physical findings are seen in only 5% to 10% of instances. Physical findings regarding the hymen and anus have been found to often be normal variants—findings that some used to regard as signs of sexual abuse. Newer considerations for clinicians include Internet child pornography, human trafficking, and use of video/photographic recording. New technologies such as high definition digital photography and telemedicine help to document abuse in a much improved way than existed several decades ago. Nevertheless, the basic approach of careful history-taking remains a bedrock for the diagnosis of child sexual abuse.