Artificial Intelligence and Anorectal Manometry: Automatic Detection and Differentiation of Anorectal Motility Patterns-A Proof-of-Concept Study.

Introduction: Anorectal manometry (ARM) is the gold standard for the evaluation of anorectal functional disorders, prevalent in the population. Nevertheless, the accessibility to this examination is limited, and the complexity of data analysis and report is a significant drawback. This pilot study aimed to develop and validate an artificial intelligence model to automatically differentiate motility patterns of fecal incontinence (FI) from obstructed defecation (OD) using ARM data.

On the effect of irregular uterine activity during a vaginal delivery using an electro-chemo-mechanical constitutive model.

During a normal vaginal delivery, the muscle cells propagate electrical signals throughout the uterine wall, resulting in uterine contractions. However, uncoordinated uterine activity may disturb the uterine contractions pattern and negatively impact fetal and maternal health. Some of the abnormalities identified by the specialists are excessively short resting intervals and tachysystole.

The evolution of pelvic canal shape and rotational birth in humans.

Background: The human foetus typically needs to rotate when passing through the tight birth canal because of the complex shape of the pelvis. In most women, the upper part, or inlet, of the birth canal has a round or mediolaterally oval shape, which is considered ideal for parturition, but it is unknown why the lower part of the birth canal has a pronounced anteroposteriorly oval shape.

Results: Here, we show that the shape of the lower birth canal affects the ability of the pelvic floor to resist the pressure exerted by the abdominal organs and the foetus.

Mechanical Effects of a Maylard Scar During a Vaginal Birth After a Previous Caesarean.

Caesarean section is one of the most common surgeries worldwide, even though there is no evidence supporting maternal and perinatal long-term benefits. Furthermore, the mechanical behavior of a caesarean scar during a vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) is not well understood since there are several questions regarding the uterine wound healing process. The aim of this study is to investigate the biomechanical Maylard fiber reorientation and stiffness influence during a VBAC through computational methods.

Episiotomy: the biomechanical impact of multiple small incisions during a normal vaginal delivery.

Childbirth-related injuries are one of the main causes of pelvic floor dysfunction. To attempt to avoid serious tears during delivery, an episiotomy can be performed. In this study, we intended to investigate the biomechanical performance of the pelvic floor muscles after performing different episiotomies using a physics-based computational model which includes the pelvic floor muscles and the fetus.