Postpartum urinary incontinence: a comparison of vaginal delivery, elective, and emergent cesarean section

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of delivery on the pelvic floor and whether cesarean section (C/S) can prevent pelvic floor injury. Five hundred thirty nine women were divided into three groups according to the delivery method adopted: elective C/S, emergent C/S, and vaginal delivery. A urinary incontinence questionnaire survey was conducted around 1 year postpartum. Emergent C/S may be a major risk factor for postpartum urinary incontinence and interfere with the benefit of elective C/S for preventing pelvic floor injury. Hence, not all C/S deliveries can reduce the likelihood of postpartum urinary incontinence. The key lies in whether the C/S is performed before labor.     

Bowel dysfunction in patients with cauda equina lesions

Despite their serious sequels on bowel function, lesions of the cauda equina have not been previously systematically studied in larger patient populations. This was the aim of the present report. From the registrars of a diagnostic and rehabilitation centres 67 patients with clinical, electrodiagnostic and radiological findings supportive of the cauda equina lesions were recruited. The Slovene versions of the standard questionnaires for anal incontinence and constipation were used. The responses were scored, impairments categorized and previous treatments noted. Neurological examination, electromyography (EMG) of lumbo-sacral myotomes, quantitative anal sphincter EMG and electromyographic evaluation of the sacral reflex were performed. Severe anal incontinence/constipation was reported by 18%/0%, moderate by 36%/33%, and slight by 28%/43% of our patients. Twenty-one per cent of patients wore pads continuously and 14% occasionally. More than half of the patients (60%) reported changes in their lifestyle due to anal incontinence. No patient had completely normal findings on neurological examination. Perianal sensory loss correlated ( P  < 0.05) with anal incontinence and gender with constipation (women >men). Only two patients had received medical attention for bowel dysfunction. Study thus demonstrated significant bowel impairment in patients with lesions of the cauda equina, which has received insufficient medical attention.     

Female pelvic floor. Descriptive anatomy and clinical exploration by transvaginal ultrasound

In order to assess the state and pathology of the woman's pelvis minor, a number of methods are commonly used among practitioners, encompassing clinical exploration, radiology, MRN, urodynamics, endoscopy and echography.

Echography has been poorly used in clinical pelvic exploration and its reliability is actually a matter of controversy 1. However, echographic surveys can provide us with valuable gynecological data on the state and pathologies of the soft pelvis, within the genital regions or even going beyond them, i.e. the rectal channel, bladder, urethra, anus, vascular plexuses, and all of their supporting tissues.

At our research unit, we have been employing Transvaginal Ultrasound echography (TVU) for a long time in conjunction with other pelvis-focused methods in order to study different kinds of pelvic alterations. TVU has proven to be friendly to use, fast, harmless and inexpensive, allowing serial explorations and producing high-quality dynamic images (loop-cinema, video-tape). Furthermore, this method is fairly aseptic in that the occurrence of faeces in the rectal ampolla is not a nuisance but a bonus in tracking the contours of the rectum walls and other topographical features which would be otherwise difficult to survey.

A complete pelvic floor TVU may add no longer than 5-8 minutes to a routine gynecological examination, can be implemented by the general gynecologist and generates data that can be further studied by the appropriate specialist for a more insightful evaluation 2.     

Investigation and treatment of urinary incontinence

Female urinary incontinence is a common but underreported condition. Initial investigation and treatment can in most cases be undertaken without urodynamic or other detailed tests. History by the use of validated symptom and quality of life questionnaires is key to the initial investigation. Initial treatment includes pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) regardless of the type of incontinence; lifestyle interventions and bladder retraining, anticholinergics and serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (e.g. duloxetine) are also included depending on the type of symptoms. In mixed incontinence the predominant symptom should be treated first. When this initial treatment is ineffective, further investigation should be offered prior to specialised treatment. Urodynamics should be considered for all patients prior to surgery. Imaging and cystoscopy to exclude pathology, for example in elderly patients with an overactive bladder, are also necessary. Newer surgical interventions should be offered after careful consideration of the risk:benefit ratio for each individual woman and the amount of evidence that is currently available to support their use.     

Placebo responses in the treatment of urge incontinence

The treatment options of patients with urge incontinence are behavioral therapy, drug therapy and surgery. The evaluation and reported efficacy of these treatments, with particular reference to the potential placebo response in treatment is discussed.     

Ultrasound evaluation of female urinary incontinence

Thirty women, 25 with incontinence and five asymptomatic volunteer control subjects, were evaluated urodynamically by a variety of techniques, including ultrasound cystourethrography. The ultrasound evaluation was found to be a helpful adjunct in diagnosis. In comparison with radiologic techniques it offers more safety, more comfort, more privacy, more viewing time, and less cost. Bladder and urethral morphology during voiding activity and the amount and direction of urethrovesical mobility are easily determined by utilizing ultrasound techniques.     

Five‐Year Follow‐up After Sacral Neuromodulation: Single Center Experience

Objective. We studied long‐term clinical efficacy of sacral neuromodulation (SNM) therapy in patients with refractory urgency incontinence (UI), urgency/frequency (UF) and voiding difficulty (VD), together with urodynamic data at baseline and six   months postimplant. Materials and Methods. Twenty‐two patients were implanted with a neurostimulator after a positive response to a percutaneous nerve evaluation test defined as a greater than 50% improvement in symptoms. Results. At five‐year follow‐up, the number of incontinent episodes and pad usage per day decreased significantly in 10 out of 15 UI patients. Two of five UF patients were successfully treated with SNM; the number of daily voids for all UF patients decreased from 25 to 19 and average voided volume increased from 98 to 212 mL. One of the two VD patients was able to void to completion. Mean first sensation of filling at the six‐month urodynamic investigation for the UI and UF patients increased from 78 to 241 mL and 141 to 232 mL, respectively, and the maximum bladder capacity increased from 292 to 352 mL and 223 to 318 mL, respectively. Five of 22 patients underwent device explant and one patient still has an inactive stimulator implanted. Conclusion. SNM is an effective treatment modality that offers sustained clinical benefit in the majority of patients with refractory UI, UF, and VD that do not respond to other, more conservative therapies.     

Pharmacology of the internal anal sphincter and its relevance to faecal incontinence

1 The internal anal sphincter (IAS) has a spontaneous tone and is the main contributor to the maintenance of faecal continence. The spontaneous resting tone exhibited by the sphincter can be modified by neurotransmitters from the autonomic and enteric nervous systems. 2 In this review, the influence of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems on IAS tone are discussed and the putative roles of nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, vasoactive intestinal peptide and adenosine triphosphate in non‐adrenergic non‐cholinergic transmission are considered. 3 Faecal incontinence is a common condition that places a heavy financial burden on the health service and severely affects patients’ quality of life. Resting anal pressure is reduced in patients with faecal incontinence and agents that increase sphincter tone tend to relieve symptoms. The results of clinical studies of the use of phenylephrine to treat faecal incontinence are reviewed. 4 It is concluded that the IAS is a potential target for drug development for the treatment of faecal incontinence.