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

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• Child
• prank
• safety pin
• sexual abuse
• vaginal foreign body