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Genital Examination Techniques

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Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

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Abstract

This chapter discusses techniques and strategies for a thorough and atraumatic genital examination in the prepubertal child. Incorporating active participation by the child will also be discussed. Examination techniques that will be reviewed include supine position, knee-chest position, and labial separation and traction. Prepubertal exams do not typically require instrumentation to observe a complete view of the hymen, so it is important to master these techniques. Documentation of the genital exam by still photography and video recording will also be discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California San Diego School of Medicine/Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    Nicole Ayson & Suzanne Starling

Authors
  1. Nicole Ayson
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  2. Suzanne Starling
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicole Ayson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. Department of Psychology College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Ernestine Briggs

  2. School of Social Work, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

    Javonda Williams

  3. Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Eastern Virginia Medical School/Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Michelle Clayton

  4. The UP Institute, CEO, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Stacie LeBlanc

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Owner/Principal Consultant & Trainer, Russell Consulting Specialists, LLC, Vancouver, Washington, USA

    Amy Russell

  7. Executive Director, Arthur D. Curtis Children's Justice Center http://www.clark.wa.gov/cjc

    Amy Russell

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© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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Ayson, N., Starling, S. (2022). Genital Examination Techniques. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89999-2_242

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