Purple Book Chapter 5: Anal signs of child sexual abuse

This systematic review examined what the anal and peri-anal signs of sexual abuse in children are, whether skin colour affects the appearance of anal and peri-anal signs of sexual abuse, whether the presence of multiple anal lacerations in children is indicative of sexual abuse, how prevalent static and dynamic anal dilatation is in sexually abused and non-sexually abused children, and how prevalent anal signs are in children with constipation where sexual abuse has been excluded. Read our summary and download the full chapter as a PDF.