The Application of Shear Wave Elastography to Determine the Elasticity of the Levator Ani Muscle and Vaginal Tissue in Patients With Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

Objectives: The changes of the extracellular matrix of the connective tissue have significantly contributed to the incidence of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). It seems reasonable that sonoelastography could be a useful tool to evaluate the elasticity of pelvic floor tissue in patients with POP and compare it to those without POP. The main aim of this pilot study was to determine if there are differences in the elasticity of the levator ani muscle (LAM) and vaginal tissue between patients with and without POP.

Reproducibility of the anorectal angle with transperineal ultrasound.

Background: The anorectal angle (ARA) has been assessed with different imaging methods and its measurement has traditionally been based on defecography or magnetic resonance studies. Different ultrasound methodologies have also been used for ARA assessment and have been validated as alternatives for the ARA measurement, such as three-dimensional (3D) endovaginal ultrasound and 3D transperineal ultrasound. 3D transperineal ultrasound does not require the introduction of ultrasound transducers inside the anal canal.

Are Transperineal Ultrasound Parameters Useful to Predict Incontinence in Patients with Single-Incision Mini-Slings?

It would be logical to think that single-incision mini-slings (SIMS) should behave like the rest of the tension-free vaginal tape and, therefore, to believe that they present a similar ultrasound appearance, but there are no studies on this matter. Therefore, the main aim of our research is to determine which ultrasound parameters are associated with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in patients carrying SIMS. A prospective observational study was carried out including 94 patients who were candidates for SUI corrective surgery with SIMS between 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021 at the Universitary Hospital of Valme (Seville, Spain).

The Role of Transperineal Ultrasound for the Assessment of the Anorectal Angle and Its Relationship with Levator Ani Muscle Avulsion.

The relationship between the anorectal angle (ARA) and the levator ani muscle (LAM) is well known. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate that the ARA changes when LAM avulsion occurs after vaginal delivery. This was a secondary, observational retrospective study with data obtained from three previous studies.