Background: Shear wave elastography is an effective method for studying the condition of various musculoskeletal soft tissues. The primary aim of this study was the objective elastographic and electromyographic assessment of the pelvic floor during the rest and contraction of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) in postmenopausal women.
Methods: This was a prospective observational study that was carried out at the University Hospital in Wroclaw, Poland, between January 2017 and December 2019.
Patients: The target group of the study included postmenopausal women with stress urinary incontinence. The primary outcomes were the features of the elastographic assessment of the pelvic floor during rest and contraction of the PFM obtained using shear wave elastography.
Results: Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the study, 14 patients took part in the measurements. There was a significant difference between the elastographic assessment of the pelvic floor during rest and contraction of the PFM at all locations in front of the urethra. No statistically significant correlation was found between the results of elastography and the bioelectrical activity of PFM.
Conclusion: The elasticity of the periurethral structures is higher during active pelvic floor muscle contraction than at rest, it seems that shear wave elastography is an effective test that objectively assesses the strength of PFM contraction.
Keywords: elastography; postmenopausal women; stress urinary incontinence; surface electromyography.