Characterizing female pelvic floor conditions by tactile imaging

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Tactile imaging (TI) is the high-definition pressure mapping technology which allows recording pressure patterns from vaginal walls under applied load and during pelvic floor muscle contraction. The objective of this study was to identify new tactile imaging and muscle contraction markers to characterize female pelvic floor conditions. METHODS: The study subjects included 22 women with normal and prolapse conditions. They were examined by a new vaginal tactile imaging probe that images the entire vagina, the pelvic floor support structures, and pelvic floor muscle contractions. RESULTS: We identified 11 parameters as potential markers to characterize the female pelvic floor conditions. These parameters correlate with prolapse conditions, patient age, and parity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the tactile imaging markers such as pressure, pressure gradient, and dynamic pressure response during muscle contraction may be used for further quantitative characterization of female pelvic floor conditions. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00192-014-2549-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. This video is also available to watch on http://videos.springer.com/. Please search for the video by the article title.