Kari Bø1,2, Gunvor Hilde2, Merete Kolberg Tennfjord1, Marie Ellstrøm Engh2,3. 1. Department of Sports Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway. 2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway. 3. Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Akershus University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Abstract
AIMS: The aim of the present study was to compare vaginal resting pressure (VRP), pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength and endurance, and prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) at 6 weeks postpartum, in women with and without lateral or mediolateral episiotomy. METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-eight nulliparous pregnant women, mean age 28.5 years (SD 4.2) and pre-pregnancy BMI 23.8 (SD 4.0) participated in the study. Lateral or mediolateral episiotomy was only performed for indications such as fetal distress or imminent risk of severe perineal tear. At 6 weeks postpartum, a vaginal balloon connected to a high precision pressure transducer was used to measure VRP (cm H2 O), PFM strength (cm H2 O), and endurance (cm H2 O sec). All women completed the International Classification of Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) by means of an electronic questionnaire. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found in VRP (mean difference 0.0 cm H2 O, 95%CI: -2.1 to 2.1), PFM strength (mean difference 1.3 cm H2 O, 95%CI: -1.9 to 4.6), or PFM endurance (mean difference 12.1 cm H2 O sec, 95%CI: -11.0 to 35.1) between women with or without episiotomy. No significant differences were found in prevalence of UI (37.5% vs. 46.6%) or SUI (23.6% vs. 35.6%), between women with or without episiotomy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PFM function and/or prevalence of post-partum UI were not affected by a lateral or mediolateral episiotomy. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:683-686, 2017.
AIMS: The aim of the present study was to compare vaginal resting pressure (VRP), pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength and endurance, and prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) at 6 weeks postpartum, in women with and without lateral or mediolateral episiotomy. METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-eight nulliparous pregnant women, mean age 28.5 years (SD 4.2) and pre-pregnancy BMI 23.8 (SD 4.0) participated in the study. Lateral or mediolateral episiotomy was only performed for indications such as fetal distress or imminent risk of severe perineal tear. At 6 weeks postpartum, a vaginal balloon connected to a high precision pressure transducer was used to measure VRP (cm H2 O), PFM strength (cm H2 O), and endurance (cm H2 O sec). All women completed the International Classification of Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) by means of an electronic questionnaire. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found in VRP (mean difference 0.0 cm H2 O, 95%CI: -2.1 to 2.1), PFM strength (mean difference 1.3 cm H2 O, 95%CI: -1.9 to 4.6), or PFM endurance (mean difference 12.1 cm H2 O sec, 95%CI: -11.0 to 35.1) between women with or without episiotomy. No significant differences were found in prevalence of UI (37.5% vs. 46.6%) or SUI (23.6% vs. 35.6%), between women with or without episiotomy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PFM function and/or prevalence of post-partum UI were not affected by a lateral or mediolateral episiotomy. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:683-686, 2017.
Authors: Pedro Sergio Magnani; Heloisa Bettiol; Antonio Augusto Moura da Silva; Marco Antonio Barbieri; Ricardo de Carvalho Cavalli; Luiz Gustavo Oliveira Brito Journal: Int Urogynecol J Date: 2019-02-26 Impact factor: 2.894