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Hymen Evaluation

Utilization of the Foley Catheter Technique for Hymenal Evaluation

Forensic nurses are, and have been in the forefront of creating the science by which sexual assault and abuse victims are evaluated. In 1995, Jamie Ferrell formally introduced the nation to the Foley Catheter Technique (FCT) in the Journal of Emergency Nursing as an effective tool for evaluating the adolescent hymen (Ferrell, 1995), where a cadre of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE’s) considered all other evaluation techniques inadequate when assessing the 500 adolescent sexual assault patients referenced in the article. Since that time many SANE’s and other providers have utilized the technique with great success in the medical/forensic evaluation of sexual assault and abuse patients and multiple case studies provide evidence of the techniques efficiency (Persaud, Squires, & Ruben-Remer, 1997). In one study 60 percent of patients evaluated with the FCT had traumatic findings compared to 15% prior to the use of FCT (Jones, Dunnuck, Rossman, Wynn, & Genco, 2003). Comprehensive hymen evaluation is of paramount importance when there is a question of penetration, and for the pubertal hymen, multiple techniques are necessary to ensure that a complete assessment has been performed (Boyle, McCann, Miyamoto, & Rogers, 2008). The Foley Catheter Technique is merely another tool for the forensic nurse’s toolbox to assist in this comprehensive hymen evaluation.

References

Boyle, C, McCann, J, Miyamoto, S., Rogers, K. (2008). Comparison of examination methods used in the evaluation of prepubertal and pubertal female genitalia: a descriptive study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 32(2),229-43.

Ferrell, J.J. (1995). Foley Catheter balloon technique for visualizing the hymen in female adolescent sexual abuse victims. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 21(6),585-6.

Jones, J.S., Dunnuck, C., Rossman, L., Wynn, B.N., Genco, M. (2003). Adolescent Foley catheter technique for visualizing hymenal injuries in adolescent sexual assault. Academic Emergency Medicine;10(9),1001-4.

Persaud, D.I., Squires, J.E., Ruben-Remer, D. (1997). Use of Foley catheter to examine estrogenized hymens for evidence of sexual abuse. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 10(2),83-5