title: Assessment of pelvic floor muscle function after vaginal delivery. Clinical value of different tests.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of different tests in identifying pelvic floor dysfunction after vaginal delivery.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred ninety-seven primiparae were investigated 2 months after vaginal delivery. They underwent pelvic floor muscle assessment by digital test, vaginal manometry and uroflowmetric stop test. Puerperae were divided into continent and incontinent subpopulations. Variables were subjected to Student's t test and Fisher's exact test to verify the difference between the subpopulations. Kappa values were used to correlate the tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Perineal performance in incontinent primiparae was weaker in all the tests; only the urine stream interruption test score showed significantly different values (P = .0026), but it did not correlate with the other two tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A simple, objective, noninvasive and low-cost technique, such as the urine stream interruption test, is useful in assessing pelvic floor performance after vaginal delivery but reflects urethrovesical support function rather than pelvic muscle function in toto.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Epidemiology Unit, University of Trieste, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Burlo Garofolo, Via dell'Istria 65/1-34137, Trieste, Italy. sartore@burlo.trieste.it
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sartore
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pregazzi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bortoli
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grimaldi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: Secondo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guaschino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008365:Manometry; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010173:Palpation; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012212:Rheology; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014563:Urodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D014621:Vagina / Q000503:physiopathology