Author(s): Sartori, Dulcegleika Villas Boas [UNESP] ; Gameiro, Monica Orsi [UNESP] ; Yamamoto, Hamilto Akihissa [UNESP] ; Kawano, Paulo Roberto [UNESP] ; Guerra, Rodrigo [UNESP] ; Padovani, Carlos Roberto [UNESP] ; Amaro, João Luiz [UNESP]
Date: 2015
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/11449/128408
Origin: Oasisbr
Subject(s): Gynecological examination; Parity; Pelvic floor; Urinary Incontinence; Reproducibility of results
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Background: The aim of this study was to compare pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength using transvaginal digital palpation in healthy continent women in different age groups, and to compare the inter- and intra-rater reliability of examiners performing anterior and posterior vaginal assessments.Methods: We prospectively studied 150 healthy multiparous women. They were distributed into four different groups, according to age range: G1 (n = 37), 30-40 years-old; G2 (n = 39), 41-50 years-old; G3 (n = 39), 51-60 years-old; and G4 (n = 35), older than 60 years-old. PFM strength was evaluated using transvaginal digital palpation in the anterior and posterior areas, by 3 different examiners, and graded using a 5-point Amaro's scale.Results: There was no statistical difference among the different age ranges, for each grade of PFM strength. There was good intra-rater concordance between anterior and posterior PFM assessment, being 64.7%, 63.3%, and 66.7% for examiners A, B, and C, respectively. The intra-rater concordance level was good for each examiner. However, the inter-rater reliability for two examiners varied from moderate to good.Conclusions: Age has no effect on PFM strength profiles, in multiparous continent women. There is good concordance between anterior and posterior vaginal PFM strength assessments, but only moderate to good inter-rater reliability of the measurements between two examiners.
Universidade Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Urologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu
Universidade Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Bioestatística, Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu
