English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

and hypothesis  Vaginal childbirth is associated with pelvic floor muscle (PFM) damage in a third of women. The biomechanics prediction, detection and management of PFM damage remain poorly understood. We sought in this pilot study to determine whether quantifying PFM stiffness postnatally by vaginal elastometry, in women attending a perineal trauma clinic (PTC) within 6 months of obstetric anal sphincter injury, correlates with their antecedent labour characteristics, pelvic floor muscle damage, or urinary/bowel/sexual symptoms, to inform future definitive prospective studies.    Methods  In this pilot study, we measured postnatal PFM stiffness by vaginal elastometry in 54 women. A subset of participants ( n  = 14) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to define any levator ani (LA) muscle defects from vaginal childbirth. We investigated the association of PFM stiffness with demographics, labour and delivery characteristics, clinical features and MRI evidence of LA damage.    Results  Raised maternal BMI was associated with reduced pelvic floor stiffness (r = −0.4;  p  < 0.01). Higher stiffness values were associated with forceps delivery for delayed second stage of labour ( n  = 14) vs non-forceps vaginal delivery ( n  = 40; 630 ± 40 N/m vs 500 ± 30 N/m;  p  < 0.05), and a non-significant trend towards longer duration of the second stage of labour. Women with urinary, bowel or sexual symptoms ( n  = 37) demonstrated higher pelvic floor stiffness values than those without (570 ± 30 N/m vs 450 ± 40 N/m;  p  < 0.05).    Conclusions  A history of delayed second stage of labour and forceps delivery was associated with higher PFM stiffness values in the postnatal period. Whether high pelvic muscle stiffness antenatally is a risk factor for instrumental vaginal delivery and LA avulsion is unknown.

Postnatal pelvic floor muscle stiffness measured by vaginal elastometry in women with obstetric anal sphincter injury: a pilot study