Magnetic resonance assessment of pelvic anatomy and pelvic floor disorders after childbirth

Victoria L. Handa*, Mark E. Lockhart, Kimberly S. Kenton, Catherine S. Bradley, Julia R. Fielding, Geoffrey W. Cundiff, Caryl G. Salomon, Christiane Hakim, Wen Ye, Holly E. Richter

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

To compare pelvic anatomy, using magnetic resonance imaging, between postpartum women with or without pelvic floor disorders. We measured postpartum bony and soft tissue pelvic dimensions in 246 primiparas, 6-12-months postpartum. Anatomy was compared between women with and without urinary or fecal incontinence, or pelvic organ prolapse; P < 0.01 was considered statistically significant. A deeper sacral hollow was significantly associated with fecal incontinence (P = 0.005). Urinary incontinence was marginally associated with a wider intertuberous diameter (P = 0.017) and pelvic arch (P = 0.017). There were no significant differences in pelvimetry measures between women with and without prolapse (e.g., vaginal or cervical descent to or beyond the hymen). We did not detect meaningful differences in soft tissue dimensions for women with and without these pelvic floor disorders. Dimensions of the bony pelvis do not differ substantially between primiparous women with and without postpartum urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence and prolapse.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)133-139
Number of pages7
JournalInternational Urogynecology Journal
Volume20
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2009

Keywords

  • Anal sphincter laceration
  • Fecal incontinence
  • Magnetic resonance imaging
  • Pelvic organ prolapse
  • Pelvimetry
  • Urinary incontinence

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Urology

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