title: Dynamic MRI after surgical repair for pelvic organ prolapse.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this work was to compare dynamic MRI measurement results from patients with pelvic organ prolapse before and after surgical repair and to correlate postoperative MRI findings with the results of physical examination and patients' complaints.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty women were included in this prospective study. Fifteen patients with uterovaginal or vaginal vault descent and 15 asymptomatic female volunteers underwent dynamic MRI using a single-shot, fast spin-echo sequence with half-Fourier data acquisition. Single-slice midsagittal images of pelvic organs were obtained at maximal pelvic strain and at perineal contraction. Dynamic MRI was repeated on all patients 2-4 months after surgical repair. Postoperative and preoperative dynamic MRIs were compared with the normal values of the volunteer group. Postoperative MRIs were correlated with the clinical findings after surgical repair.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven patients reported symptoms after surgical repair, although only two had pathologic findings on physical examination (residual urine associated with third-degree stress urinary incontinence, and bladder neck descent). MRI showed pathologic changes in five of these patients. Two patients with persistent first-degree stress incontinence had no pathologic findings on MRI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dynamic MRI is helpful in the evaluation of persistent patient complaints after surgery for pelvic organ prolapse and detects more defects than physical examination does.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg, Germany. hubert.gufler@radiol.med.uni-giessen.de
authors.forename: Hubert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gufler
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: DeGregorio
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dohnicht
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Allmann
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rohr-Reyes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014596:Uterine Prolapse / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*