title: Front and rear: the pelvic floor is an integrated functional structure.
abstract: The pelvic floor is a muscular structure, pierced by the urologic, genital and distal intestinal tract. This structure is not a frozen but a functional unit. Normal function can thus be replaced by dysfunctions of several kinds, overlapping voiding, sexual, genital and defecatory behaviour. For instance, vaginismus is akin to anismus and vesicourethral dyssynergia. Recent recognition of the medicosurgical consequences of sexual abuse has shown that many urologic, genital and digestive dysfunctions are sort of a body signature of the trauma, which must be dealt with if the symptom is to disappear. If the pelvic floor is integrated, unsuspected pathology will lie outside of the spectrum of activities of a given specialty, and thus urologists, gynecologists, gastroenterologists and colorectal surgeons should not only exchange, but should also be aware of the pathologies of neighbouring specialties. This paper elaborates on a more holistic vision of pelvic floor function including sexuality. Out of this, a number of different hypotheses are elaborated in the different spheres of activities, about different pathologies, their basic cause, and how they could be dealt with.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, Fleurimont, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Devroede
mesh_terms: D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D006808:Humanism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology; D014570:Urologic Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology