Linea Vestibularis: A Previously Undescribed Normal Genital Structure in Female Neonates

The increasing number of evidentiary examinations conducted for sexual abuse has accentuated the importance of defining normal genital anatomy, particularly within the vestibule of female children. In female newborns, normal anatomical variations of the hymen have been described1,2 but anatomical variations of the posterior vestibule underlying the hymen have not been reported. In children evaluated for sexual abuse a vestibular structure of varying description and location has been reported. A "midline avascular streak," "scar," and "a white area" have been noted in the posterior vestibule, posterior fourchette, and hymen.1,3,4 Whether these descriptions all pertain to a single entity or are multiple lesions is not known.