Comparison of sensitivity and specificity of three-dimensional pelvic floor ultrasound and conventional ultrasound in pelvic floor assessment after delivery.

Objective: This study was designed to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of the three-dimensional (3D) pelvic floor ultrasound and the conventional ultrasound in pelvic floor assessment after delivery.

Methods: A total of 108 patients with pelvic floor dysfunction treated in our hospital were selected as the study group, and another 108 healthy subjects were included as the control group. Both groups were diagnosed by conventional ultrasound and 3D pelvic floor ultrasound, and confirmed with pathological findings. The diagnostic results of the conventional ultrasound and 3D pelvic floor ultrasound were compared, and the diagnostic conditions of various indicators in the two groups were compared.

Results: The numbers of true positive cases and true negative cases diagnosed by the conventional ultrasound were 84 and 90, respectively, while the numbers of true positive cases and true negative cases diagnosed by the 3D pelvic floor ultrasound were 8 and 102, respectively (<0.05). The accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of the conventional ultrasound were 80.6%, 83.3%, and 77.8%, respectively, which were lower than 94.4%, 96.3%, and 92.6% of the 3D pelvic floor ultrasound, respectively (<0.05). The study group exhibited greater urethral rotation angle (URA), posterior urethrovesical angles (PUVA) under Vsalva maneuver, area of the pelvic hiatus (APH), cystoscopic descent distance, cervical descent distance, and PUVA at resting state (<0.05), and smaller angle of urethral inclination (UI), anal levator-urethra gap (LUG), cervix-symphyseal distance (CSD), rectal ampulla-symphyseal distance (RSD) and bladder neck-symphysis pubis distance (BSD) compared with the control group (<0.05).

Conclusion: The 3D pelvic floor ultrasound is more accurate, specific and sensitive than the conventional ultrasound in the assessment of postpartum pelvic floor function, which is worthy of wide application.