Comparison of 3D endoanal ultrasound and external phased array magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of obstetric anal sphincter injuries

OBJECTIVES: The gold standard of postpartum anal sphincter imaging has been the 3D endoanal ultrasound (EAUS). Development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has allowed anal sphincter evaluation without the use of endoanal coils. The aim of this study is to compare these two modalities in diagnosing residual sphincter lesions post obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI). METHODS: Forty women were followed up after primary repair of OASI with both 3D EAUS and external phased array MRI. Details of the anal sphincter injury and sphincter musculature were gathered and analysed. RESULTS: There was a moderate interrater reliability (κ = 0.510) between the two imaging modalities in detecting sphincter lesions, with more lesions detected by MRI. There was a moderate intraclass correlation (ICC) between the circumference of the tear (κ = 0.506) and a fair ICC between the external anal sphincter thickness measurements at locations 3 and 9 on the proctologic clock face (κ = 0.320) and (κ = 0.336). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study indicate that the use of external phased array MRI is feasible for detecting obstetric anal sphincter lesions postpartum. This allows for imaging of the sphincter defects in centres where EAUS imaging is not available. KEY POINTS: • A two centre prospective study that showed external phased array MRI to be a valid imaging modality for diagnosing obstetric anal sphincter injuries. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s00330-019-06125-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.