The objective of this study was to describe the morphometry of the pelvic floor for a large population of women with pelvic pain compared to those without pain.
A prospective study was performed between January 2013-November 2015, recruiting women attending a general gynaecology clinic. Translabial four-dimensional ultrasound (4DUS) was performed on all women after collection of demographic data. Dynamic volumes of pelvic floor muscle contraction and Valsalva were recorded and analysed at a later date by an assessor blinded to demographic details.
Seven-hundred and forty seven women had translabial 4DUS over the course of the study, 469 (63%) with pelvic pain and 278 (37%) with no pelvic pain. Women with pelvic pain were found to have significantly smaller hiatal areas and left-right diameters on Valsalva compared with women without pain (p<0.01).
Women with pelvic pain have features of pelvic floor muscle hypertonicity in the Valsalva phase of dynamic 4DUS of the pelvic floor. Generally though, 4DUS has not been shown to be helpful as a new diagnostic modality for women with pelvic pain.