TEARS
Definition
The systematic mnemonic for anogenital findings: Tears (lacerations or fissures), Ecchymosis (bruising), Abrasions (superficial skin loss), Redness (erythema, which may be non-specific), Swelling (oedema). Each category is documented by location, size, and characteristics.
Related terms
- Fossa navicularis
- The shallow fossa between the posterior fourchette and the hymenal ring, anterior to the fourchette. An anatomically vulnerable zone often involved in...
- Hymenal remnants
- Tissue tags remaining from the hymenal membrane. In adults, remnants are normal findings and should not be described as evidence of prior...
- Injury-free assault
- The documented phenomenon whereby penetrative sexual assault produces no detectable anogenital injury in a significant proportion of cases. Supported by multiple prospective...
- Posterior fourchette
- The posterior midline junction where the labia minora meet, at the inferior border of the vaginal introitus. The most frequently reported site...
- Vestibular papillomatosis
- A normal variant consisting of symmetrical micropapillary projections on the inner labia minora and vestibule. Often mistaken for condylomata acuminata (genital warts)...
Explained in
- TEARS Classification and Anogenital Injury PatternsThe systematic mnemonic for anogenital findings: Tears (lacerations or fissures), Ecchymosis (bruising), Abrasions (superficial skin loss), Redness (erythema,...