Margie Polden Memorial Lecture: From research lab back to clinical practice

Author(s): R. Lovegrove Jones - Pages: 5–12

Abstract

The aim of this study was to define new quantitative parameters of dynamic pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function using two-dimensional transperineal ultrasound imaging in combination with image processing methods (IPMs). Ultrasound and digital vaginal data were obtained from a volunteer convenience sample of 32 women who were recruited from the general community of the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA. Twenty-three subjects were continent and nine suffered from stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Several research questions were addressed using transperineal ultrasound combined with IPMs. The process allowed the dynamic evaluation of pelvic floor displacement throughout an entire manoeuvre, in contrast to the limited quantification possible when using static images taken from the rest position to the end of the manoeuvre. Caution regarding the generalizability of the results is warranted because of the small number of women with SUI who were involved in the study and the significant differences in parity between the groups. However, this non-invasive tool for physiological measurement represents a new way of assessing the PFMs. It is envisaged that the present research will provide a foundation for future studies involving larger, parity-matched populations, and therefore, that it will eventually contribute to improvements in the rehabilitation of women with SUI and other pelvic floor disorders.

Keywords: clinical practice, continence, image processing methods, pelvic floor muscles, ultrasound imaging.