OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of pelvic floor muscle training and watchful waiting on pelvic floor symptoms in a primary care population of women aged 55 years and over with symptomatic mild pelvic organ prolapse. DESIGN Randomised controlled trial. SETTING Dutch primary care. PARTICIPANTS Women aged 55 years or over with symptomatic mild prolapse (leading edge above the hymen) were id...

The pelvic floor consists of muscles and connective tissue. In the past, the components’ relative contribution to the structural support of the pelvic floor and its functions has been a subject of controversy (Corton 2009). With increasing age women can develop vaginal and pelvic organ prolapse as well as symptoms such as stress urinary incontinence, voiding dysfunction, urgency and frequency a...

BACKGROUND Radical prostatectomy is the most common and effective treatment for localized prostate cancer. Unfortunately, radical prostatectomy is associated with urinary incontinence and has a significant negative impact on quality of life. Pelvic floor exercises are the most common non-invasive management strategy for urinary incontinence following radical prostatectomy; however, studies prov...

BACKGROUND Obesity is a risk factor for female pelvic floor disorders. The study objective was to determine whether there was a difference in the subjective reporting of pelvic symptoms before and after bariatric surgery. METHODS This was a prospective cohort study of female patients that underwent bariatric surgery. Patients completed a demographic questionnaire, the Pelvic Floor Distress In...

AIMS The aim of the study was to investigate the reliability of a scoring system for the investigation of voluntary and reflex co-contractions of abdominal and pelvic floor muscles in lying, sitting, and standing positions in continent and incontinent women. METHODS A visual inspection and digital (strength, tone, speed, and endurance) palpation scale was developed to measure the coordination...

PURPOSE Pelvic floor rehabilitation is an appealing treatment for patients with fecal incontinence but reported results vary. This study was designed to assess the outcome of pelvic floor rehabilitation in a large series of consecutive patients with fecal incontinence caused by different etiologies. METHODS A total of 281 patients (252 females) were included. Data about medical history, anal ...

The pelvic floor is a complex multifunctional structure that corresponds to the genito-urinary-anal area and consists of muscle and connective tissue. It supports the urinary, fecal, sexual and reproductive functions and pelvic statics. The symptoms caused by pelvic floor dysfunction often affect the quality of life of those who are afflicted, worsening significantly more aspects of daily life....

OBJECTIVE To correlate, in a pilot study, the clinical results of extracorporeal magnetic innervation therapy (ExMI) of the pelvic floor muscles with functional changes in the pelvic floor musculature, urodynamics and quality of life. PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 74 patients (65 women and nine men) with urge incontinence, urgency/frequency, stress incontinence, mixed incontinence and defecati...

1. German Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics 2. Study Group for Urogynecology and Plastic Pelvic Floor Reconstruction of the German Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics 3. Study Group for Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Floor Surgery, Austria 4. Study Group for Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Floor Surgery, Switzerland 5. Surgical Study Group for Coloproctology 6. Profession...