Intravaginal pressure profile of continent and incontinent women

Author(s)

Cacciari, Licia P. ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Amorim, Amanda C. ^[1] ; Passaro, Anice C. ^[1] ; Dumoulin, Chantal ^{[2, 3]} ; Sacco, Isabel C. N. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Fisioterapia Fonoaudiol & Terapia Ocupac, Fac Med, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Montreal, Sch Rehabil, Fac Med, Montreal, PQ - Canada

^[3] Inst Univ Geriatrie Montreal, Res Ctr, Montreal, PQ - Canada

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS; v. 99, JAN 23 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

A well-functioning pelvic floor muscle plays an important role in maintaining urinary continence. The aim of this study was to describe and compare the intravaginal pressure profile using a multisensor device along the vaginal length in women with and without urinary incontinence (UI), while performing pelvic floor muscle tasks. Fifty-four adult pre-menopausal women (31 continent and 23 incontinent) participated in this cross-sectional observational cohort study. The intravaginal pressure profile was assessed at rest, during maximum and sustained pelvic floor muscle contractions, using the Pliance (R) multisensor device. Between-group comparisons were performed considering the overall pressure and the pressure profile of 10-subregions along the vaginal length. In the overall pressure assessment, women with UI presented lower pressures at rest, similar pressures during maximum contraction and lower capacity to maintain pressure during sustained contraction compared to those in the continent group. The pressure profile assessment showed between-group differences that were consistent throughout tasks, with the incontinent group presenting lower pressures than the continent group, specifically in the mid-vaginal length, around 3-4 cm from the vaginal opening. We observed consistent deficits in pressure generation in incontinent compared to continent women, precisely in the region of the pelvic floor muscles. With this protocol and novel instrument, we obtained a reliable and consistent intravaginal pressure profile of continent and incontinent women. This approach could assist clinicians in the assessment of pelvic floor muscle function and foster a better understanding of the urinary incontinence mechanism. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/19610-3 - Multivetorial load of the pelvic floor of different women populations
• Grantee: Isabel de Camargo Neves Sacco
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/13820-6 - The influence of perineal training and type of delivery on multidirectional load distribution of the female pelvic floor
• Grantee: Licia Pazzoto Cacciari
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate