Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess normal ranges, variations, test-retest reliability and correlations between tests for a battery of simple, minimally invasive tests of pelvic floor function in nulliparous asymptomatic women. Women were recruited by advertisement and underwent dipstick urinalysis, simple cystometrics, provocative tests for incontinence, Q-tip test and surface electromyography with acrylic plug electrodes. Subjects were retested at a later date. Nineteen subjects underwent initial testing and 12 were retested. A wide range of normal values was obtained. Cystometric measures of first and strong urge to void the maximum bladder capacity, Q-tip test and rectal perineometry had significant correlations between the two visits. There were no significant between-test correlation coefficients. It was concluded that the simple tests used demonstrate a mixed ability to follow pelvic floor function longitudinally.
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Editorial Comment: This study attempts to assess the normal ranges and reproducibility of a series of minimally invasive clinical tests commonly used to measure pelvic floor function. The second goal of the study is to determine whether there is any correlation among these tests. Nineteen nulliparous asymptomatic women underwent a battery of tests, including postvoid residual, simple cystometry, translabial sonography, Q-tip test, stress test and electromyography; 12 of the women repeated the tests at a later date. The investigators found a wide range of values, large standard deviations and poor correlation on test-retest in most of the tests performed. Furthermore, no correlation between the tests could be found. The study is severely limited by its small population size, a key ingredient when trying to assess normal values of specific tests or parameters. However, the failure to detect a significant correlation between the different tests of pelvic floor function, in spite of the small numbers, is interesting. Again, the complexity of pelvic floor function is clearly evident-assessment of the pelvic floor requires a variety of tests to obtain a clear picture of normal versus abnormal function.
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Thorp, J.M., Jones, L.H., Wells, E. et al. Assessment of pelvic floor function: A series of simple tests in nulliparous women. Int Urogynecol J 7, 94–97 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01902380
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01902380