title: Vaginal vs. transabdominal ultrasonography in the evaluation of female urinary tract anatomy, stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organs static disturbances.
abstract: In this multicentric prospective and randomized study we compared the results obtained by application of a vaginal ultrasound probe in the vaginal introitus to those obtained by the transabdominal one. 66 examined patients were separated in five groups according to the history and gynaecological investigation. Stress urinary incontinence was urodynamically proved. After analysing the results obtained by those methods we conclude that the transabdominal method gives more useful data for stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organs static disturbances (SUI and POSD) diagnosing, but the introital application of the vaginal probe is also very useful for analysing the urethrovesical junction (UVJ) position comparing of its mobility in rest and maximal strain positions. We have found that a posterior vesicourethral angle less than 75 degrees measured by the endovaginal probe was a reliable proof of the cystocele. The results were comparable to clinical status and transabdominal sonography of the moderately full bladder. Transabdominal and endovaginal methods give rather complementary than competition data which are very useful in diagnosing of the POSD, SUI and UVJ position and degree of its mobility. For that reason both techniques may precisely discover and document the presence of anatomic stress urinary incontinence causative defects aiding in the selection of patients suitable for operative therapy of stress urinary incontinence and for their postoperative follow-up.
authors.affiliation: General Hospital Dr. Jozeta Potrca, Gyn.-Obstet. Dept., Ptuj/Slovenia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jolić
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gilja
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019160:Endosonography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014521:Urethra / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014563:Urodynamics / Q000502:physiology*