OBJECTIVE: To compare anal sphincter function following spontaneous vaginal delivery and cesarean delivery, and assess the association of perineal length and sphincter injury with each delivery mode. METHOD: Perineal length was measured and anal manometric measurements were performed in 120 primigravidas before and after delivery. RESULTS: Mean values for maximum anal resting and squeeze pressures were significantly lower after delivery irrespective of the mode of delivery, but there was a positive correlation between postpartum maximum anal resting pressure and perineal length (r=0.24, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Anal sphincter function was disturbed after both vaginal and cesarean delivery, a finding weakened by the fact that almost half of the cesareans were performed for cephalopelvic disproportion identified during labor.
OBJECTIVE: To compare anal sphincter function following spontaneous vaginal delivery and cesarean delivery, and assess the association of perineal length and sphincter injury with each delivery mode. METHOD: Perineal length was measured and anal manometric measurements were performed in 120 primigravidas before and after delivery. RESULTS: Mean values for maximum anal resting and squeeze pressures were significantly lower after delivery irrespective of the mode of delivery, but there was a positive correlation between postpartum maximum anal resting pressure and perineal length (r=0.24, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Anal sphincter function was disturbed after both vaginal and cesarean delivery, a finding weakened by the fact that almost half of the cesareans were performed for cephalopelvic disproportion identified during labor.