title: Assessment of the effect of pelvic floor exercises on pelvic floor muscle strength using ultrasonography in patients with urinary incontinence: a prospective randomized controlled trial.
abstract: [Purpose] The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the effect of pelvic floor exercises on pelvic floor muscle strength could be detected via ultrasonography in patients with urinary incontinence. [Subjects and Methods] Of 282 incontinent patients, 116 participated in the study and were randomly divided into a pelvic floor muscle training (n=65) group or control group (n=51). The pelvic floor muscle training group was given pelvic floor exercise training for 12 weeks. Both groups were evaluated at the beginning of the study and after 12 weeks. Abdominal ultrasonography measurements in transverse and longitudinal planes, the PERFECT scheme, perineometric evaluation, the stop test, the stress test, and the pad test were used to assess pelvic floor muscle strength in all cases. [Results] After training, the PERFECT, perineometry and transabdominal ultrasonography measurements were found to be significantly improved, and the stop test and pad test results were significantly decreased in the pelvic floor muscle training group, whereas no difference was observed in the control group. There was a positive correlation between the PERFECT force measurement scale and ultrasonography force measurement scale before and after the intervention in the control and pelvic floor muscle training groups (r=0.632 and r=0.642, respectively). [Conclusion] Ultrasonography can be used as a noninvasive method to identify the change in pelvic floor muscle strength with exercise training.
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozge Celiker
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Tosun
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ulas
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Solmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Turkey.
authors.forename: Atalay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ekin
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gokhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tosun
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cenk
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gezer
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ege Faculty, University of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet Mete
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ergenoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ege Faculty, University of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet Ozgur
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Yeniel
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mat
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Dogu Akdeniz University, North Cyprus.
authors.forename: Mehtap
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malkoc
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ege Faculty, University of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Niyazi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Askar
keywords: Pelvic floor muscle; Transabdominal ultrasonography; Urinary incontinence