Vaginal foreign body in a child: Sexual abuse or sibling prank?

• Main Authors: Rahul Gupta, Badri Lal Patidar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019-01-01
• Series: Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth
• Subjects: Child; prank; safety pin; sexual abuse; vaginal foreign body
• Online Access: http://www.mjdrdypv.org/article.asp?issn=2589-8302;year=2019;volume=12;issue=2;spage=157;epage=159;aulast=Gupta

Vaginal foreign body is a rare condition. We present a 6-year-old girl who had dysuria and itching in the perineum; examination revealed a vaginal foreign body which was a broken safety pin. Radiographs after its removal revealed a pin of the safety pin left in the vagina which was later removed under anesthesia. A high index of suspicion for a vaginal foreign body should be present while evaluating a child with genitourinary complaints. Vaginal foreign body in children may be an indicator of possible sexual abuse; although in the present case, it was a prank by her elder sibling. Importance of postprocedural radiographs has been emphasized after removal as multiple/broken pieces may be present, which may not have been visualized initially. Evaluation for concurrent sexually transmitted diseases is paramount if sexual abuse is suspected.