Federica Sammali1, Nienke Pertronella Maria Kuijsters1,2, Benedictus Christiaan Schoot1,2,3, Massimo Mischi1, Chiara Rabotti1. 1. 1 Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands. 2. 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, Eindhoven, the Netherlands. 3. 3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Uterine activity plays a key role in reproduction, and altered patterns of uterine contractility have been associated with important physiopathological conditions, such as subfertility, dysmenorrhea, and endometriosis. However, there is currently no method to objectively quantify uterine contractility outside pregnancy without interfering with the spontaneous contraction pattern. Transabdominal electrohysterography has great potential as a clinical tool to characterize noninvasively uterine activity, but results of this technique in nonpregnant women are poorly documented. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of transabdominal electrohysterography in nonpregnant women. METHODS: Longitudinal measurements were performed on 22 healthy women in 4 representative phases of the menstrual cycle. Twelve electrohysterogram-based indicators previously validated in pregnancy have been estimated and compared in the 4 phases of the cycle. Using the Tukey honest significance test, significant differences were defined for P values below .05. RESULTS: Half of the selected electrohysterogram-based indicators showed significant differences between menses and at least 1 of the other 3 phases, that is the luteal phase. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest transabdominal electrohysterography to be feasible for analysis of uterine activity in nonpregnant women. Due to the lack of a golden standard, this feasibility study is indirectly validated based on physiological observations. However, these promising results motivate further research aiming at evaluating electrohysterography as a method to improve understanding and management of dysfunctions (possibly) related to altered uterine contractility, such as infertility, endometriosis, and dysmenorrhea.
PURPOSE: Uterine activity plays a key role in reproduction, and altered patterns of uterine contractility have been associated with important physiopathological conditions, such as subfertility, dysmenorrhea, and endometriosis. However, there is currently no method to objectively quantify uterine contractility outside pregnancy without interfering with the spontaneous contraction pattern. Transabdominal electrohysterography has great potential as a clinical tool to characterize noninvasively uterine activity, but results of this technique in nonpregnant women are poorly documented. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of transabdominal electrohysterography in nonpregnant women. METHODS: Longitudinal measurements were performed on 22 healthy women in 4 representative phases of the menstrual cycle. Twelve electrohysterogram-based indicators previously validated in pregnancy have been estimated and compared in the 4 phases of the cycle. Using the Tukey honest significance test, significant differences were defined for P values below .05. RESULTS: Half of the selected electrohysterogram-based indicators showed significant differences between menses and at least 1 of the other 3 phases, that is the luteal phase. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest transabdominal electrohysterography to be feasible for analysis of uterine activity in nonpregnant women. Due to the lack of a golden standard, this feasibility study is indirectly validated based on physiological observations. However, these promising results motivate further research aiming at evaluating electrohysterography as a method to improve understanding and management of dysfunctions (possibly) related to altered uterine contractility, such as infertility, endometriosis, and dysmenorrhea.
Authors: Julius Georgiou; Konstantinos Lekkas; Giorgos Varnava; Marios Sophocleous; Andreas Michaelides; Vasilios Tanos Journal: IEEE Open J Eng Med Biol Date: 2022-03-15
Authors: José Javier Reyes-Lagos; Adriana Cristina Pliego-Carrillo; Claudia Ivette Ledesma-Ramírez; Miguel Ángel Peña-Castillo; María Teresa García-González; Gustavo Pacheco-López; Juan Carlos Echeverría Journal: Entropy (Basel) Date: 2020-07-22 Impact factor: 2.524