Abstract
Purpose: To determine the yield of routine vaginal cultures for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis from girls evaluated following sexual abuse. Methods: Retrospective chart review evaluating results of cultures that were obtained from 2008 prepubertal girls seen within 72 hours following an assault over two periods of 3 years each. Results: It was found that only 16 (0.8%) of cultures were positive for either gonorrhea or chlamydia. All but one of the prepubertal girls who had positive vaginal cultures for sexually transmitted disease had signs of acute vulvovaginitis. Conclusion: Routine vaginal cultures in asymptomatic pre-pubertal girls have a very low yield. Prospective studies are required to change current protocols for the evaluation of child victims of sexual abuse.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 343-345 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2005 |
Keywords
- C trachomatis
- N gonorrhoeae
- Prepubertal girls
- Sexual assault
- STD screen
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health