title: Influence of bladder volume on pelvic organ prolapse quantification results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the degree of pelvic organ prolapse between examinations performed with full and empty bladder in patients without any prolapse and with pelvic organ prolapse stage I or II using the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POPQ) system.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective observational study with 120 consecutive patients with and without symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse was evaluated. All women were examined with full and empty bladder. The data were analyzed by Wilcoxon's signed-rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With empty bladder 54% had the same stage, 41% had a one-step higher stage and 5% had a two-step higher stage of prolapse. There was an increase in the extent of prolapse in the empty bladder setting at all six site-specific points (Aa, Ba, C, D, Ap, Bp; p < 0.001) but not in the results of genital hiatus, perineal body and total vaginal length.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the full extent of prolapse may be only assessed with an empty bladder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urogynecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany. andreas.reich@uniklinik-ulm.de
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reich
authors.forename: Frauke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kohorst
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kreienberg
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Flock
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D056887:Pelvic Organ Prolapse / Q000473:pathology*; D010502:Perineum / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D011187:Posture; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D014556:Urine; D014621:Vagina / Q000033:anatomy & histology