title: Pelvic floor dysfunction and sensory impairment: Current evidence.
abstract: To explore the role of sensory nerve impairment in women with pelvic organ prolapse, painful bladder syndrome, urinary and fecal incontinence, and sexual dysfunction.
  
  
  
  Medline and Embase were searched for articles in which sensory testing, either quantitative sensory testing or current perception thresholds, had been used to evaluate women with pelvic organ prolapse, stress and urge urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence and female sexual dysfunction. All search terms were expanded within each database prior to searching.
  
  
  
  Research to date has included small numbers of participants, used poorly matched controls, lacked a systemic sensory examination and applied non-standardized sensory testing techniques. However, the evidence suggests women with pelvic organ prolapse demonstrate sensory dysfunction. The role of sensory impairment in stress urinary incontinence is inconclusive. In women with urge urinary incontinence there is some evidence to suggest it may be urethrally mediated. Women with painful bladder syndrome may have more sensitive nerve endings which are unable to ignore repeated stimuli. Sensory impairment is common in women with sexual dysfunction, typically involving larger nerve fibres. There were no studies evaluating sensory function in women with fecal incontinence.
  
  
  
  Current evidence suggests women with pelvic floor dysfunction demonstrate sensory impairment though the causes remain unclear. Further studies are needed to investigate the different conditions of pelvic floor dysfunction using standardized sensory testing techniques, as well as evaluate the timing and mechanism by which any sensory impairment develops. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:550-556, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.|Warrell Unit, Central Manchester Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mahoney
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.|Warrell Unit, Central Manchester Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.|Department of Neurology, Salford Royal Foundation Trust, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.|Warrell Unit, Central Manchester Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059952:Pelvic Floor Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D056887:Pelvic Organ Prolapse / Q000503:physiopathology; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: current perception thresholds; female pelvic neuroanatomy; female sexual dysfunction; pelvic floor dysfunction; prolapse; quantitative sensory testing; urinary incontinence