W. Glenn Hurt

Assessment of Kegel pelvic muscle exercise performance after brief verbal instruction.

Forty-seven women had urethral pressure profile determinations performed at rest and during a Kegel pelvic muscle contraction, after brief standardized verbal instruction. Twenty-three (49%) had an ideal Kegel effort--a significant increase in the force of urethral closure without an appreciable Valsalva effort. Twelve subjects (25%) displayed a Kegel technique that could potentially promote incontinence. Age, parity, weight, estrogen deprivation, prior continence surgery or hysterectomy, and passive urethral function did not predict a successful effort. We concluded that simple verbal or written instruction does not represent adequate preparation for a patient who is about to start a Kegel exercise program.

Bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis vaginitis are risk factors for cuff cellulitis after abdominal hysterectomy

To assess the relationship between either bacterial vaginosis or trichomoniasis vaginitis and posthysterectomy infection, preoperative evaluation of the vaginal secretions was performed in 161 women undergoing abdominal hysterectomy. Thirty-two patients (19.9%) and 27 patients (16.8%), respectively, met the diagnostic criteria for bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis vaginitis. Patients with either bacterial vaginosis or trichomoniasis vaginitis were more likely than control subjects to have cuff cellulitis, cuff abscess, or both (relative risk 3.2, 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 6.7 for bacterial vaginosis; relative risk 3.4, 95% confidence interval 1.6 to 7.1 for trichomoniasis vaginitis). Preoperative vaginitis had no effect with respect to the incidence of postoperative wound infection, urinary tract infection, or intravenous line phlebitis. Bacteroides sp., Peptostreptococcus sp., and/or Gardnerella vaginalis (bacterial vaginosis organisms) were isolated from the vaginal cuff in the majority of patients with postoperative cuff cellulitis. Bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis vaginitis are risk factors for the development of posthysterectomy cuff cellulitis.

Urethral axis and sphincteric function

Position and mobility of the urethral axis are considered factors influencing urethral competence. Specific correlation between the urethral axis and its sphincteric function is lacking. Eighty-four patients with the symptom of stress urinary incontinence and 31 patients with sensory symptomatology but not urinary incontinence underwent clinical and urodynamic evaluation. This included objective assessment of urethral axial positions and mobility with use of a specially designed protractor. Comparative analysis of urethral axial data was done between 70 incontinent women with objective evidence of sphincteric incompetence and 24 continent women without it. The urethral axis at rest, during bearing down, and in its total excursion were found to be not significantly different and distributed similarly between both groups. Assessment of the urethral axis was found to be not predictive of urethral function.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE

Pelvic organ prolapse is usually caused by weakness of the pelvic diaphragm. Descent of the pelvic diaphragm places stress on the endopelvic connective tissue support system. Subsequent increases in intra-abdominal pressure result in prolapse. In the majority of cases, labor and childbirth are thought to be the primary factors responsible for pelvic neuropathies and tissue damage that predispose to the development of POP. Certain connective tissue defects, congenital defects, and operative procedures also contribute to pelvic support defects.

Wound infection after abdominal hysterectomy: Effect of the depth of subcutaneous tissue

OBJECTIVEnOur purpose was to determine the effect of the depth of the subcutaneous tissue at the operative site on abdominal wound infection after hysterectomy.nnnSTUDY DESIGNnA prospective study was performed of women undergoing abdominal hysterectomy and not receiving antibiotic prophylaxis who underwent maximum vertical measurement of their subcutaneous incisions before the abdominal cavity was surgically entered. Additional demographic and perioperative data previously associated with wound infection were collected and analyzed. Surgical technique was standardized among the three attending surgeons involved.nnnRESULTSnWound infection occurred in 17 of 150 (11.3%) women undergoing abdominal hysterectomy. Univariate analysis identified the following risk factors as being significantly associated with wound infection: depth of subcutaneous tissue (p = 0.0004), preoperative serum albumin (0.0015), weight (p = 0.0029), and body mass index (p = 0.0032). Logistic regression analysis confirmed the thickness of the subcutaneous tissue as the only significant risk factor for wound infection (p = 0.04) (odds ratio 1.37, 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 1.86). No patients with a maximum depth of subcutaneous tissue < 3 cm had a wound infection.nnnCONCLUSIONnWe conclude that the depth of subcutaneous tissue is the most significant risk factor associated with abdominal wound infection after hysterectomy.

Dynamic urethral pressure/profilometry pressure transmission ratio determinations in stress-incontinent and stress-continent subjects.

Bladder-to-urethra pressure transmission ratios were calculated in each quarter (designated Q1 through Q4) of the dynamic urethral pressure profile in 110 subjects. Thirty-seven subjects had genuine stress urinary incontinence, whereas 73 were stress continent. Subjects with genuine stress incontinence had significantly lower mean (+/- SD) pressure transmission ratios in all four urethral quarters compared with stress-continent subjects: 71% +/- 14% versus 94% +/- 38% for Q1 (p = 0.004), 69% +/- 16% versus 101% +/- 42% for Q2 (p = 0.00001), 79% +/- 19% versus 113% +/- 46% for Q3 (p = 0.0001), and 90% +/- 22% versus 117% +/- 36% for Q4 (p = 0.001). A pressure transmission ratio value less than 90% in the proximal half of the dynamic profile had a sensitivity of 97%, a specificity of 56%, an abnormal predictive value of 53%, and a normal predictive value of 97%. Calculation of pressure transmission ratios, as opposed to declaring the stress profile positive or negative based on whole urethra/bladder pressure equalization with stress, enhances the utility of the dynamic urethral pressure profile and allows quantification of one of the several variable in the equation of stress urinary incontinence.

Seminoma in pubertal patient with androgen insensitivity syndrome

The case of a 14-year-old girl with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome and metastatic seminoma is reported. She was treated by bilateral adnexectomy, removal of paraaortic lymph nodes, postoperative radiation, and estrogen replacement therapy. She represents the fourth case of gonadal malignancy to be reported in a teenage patient with androgen insensitivity syndrome.

Fluid weight uroflowmetry in women

This study evaluates fluid weight uroflowmetry as a screening technique for urogynecologic conditions. Sixty women with no known pathologic condition volunteered for the evaluation of normal uroflowmetric parameters and curve patterns. Forty were menstruating cyclically, and 20 were postmenopausal. The parameters studied included: (1) total voided volume, (2) flow time, (3) peak flow rate, and (4) time to peak flow rate. In addition, uroflowmetric tracings were classified according to their patterns of configuration into: (1) normal, (2) multiple peak, and (3) interrupted. The parameters studied showed no difference in the two normal groups. A wide range of values was observed. Neither age, parity, weight, height, nor menstrual cycle phase affected the data. Values obtained from patients with idiopathic instability of the detrusor muscle, sensory urgency, and stress urinary incontinence did not show differences or trends. Seventeen percent of the tracings of the normal population group showed either multiple peak or interrupted patterns. Patients with sensory urgency (p less than 0.001) had a higher incidence of multiple peak and interrupted flow rate patterns.

Anal sphincter injury in women with pelvic floor disorders.

OBJECTIVE: 1) To estimate the rate of anal incontinence and anal sphincter injury in a group of women with pelvic floor disorders; 2) to evaluate the relationship between anal incontinence and anal sphincter injury as demonstrated by endoanal ultrasonography; 3) to explore any associations between operative vaginal delivery and anal sphincter injury in this population. METHODS: A cohort of 100 women with stage II or greater pelvic organ prolapse and/or urinary incontinence completed the Rockwood-Thompson Fecal Incontinence Severity Index Questionnaire (FISI). Pelvic organ prolapse was recorded using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification system. Multichannel cystometry and endoanal ultrasonography were performed. Categorical data were compared using the χ2 statistic. The FISI scores were correlated with degree of anal sphincter injury using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). RESULTS: Fifteen women with pelvic organ prolapse only, 28 with urinary incontinence only, and 57 with both were evaluated. Mean age (± standard deviation) and body mass index were 57.1 ± 13.2 years and 29.8 ± 6.8 kg/m2, respectively. Median parity was 3. Fifty-four percent of those studied had anal incontinence, and 52% had anal sphincter defects. Anal incontinence was significantly associated with sphincter injury (odds ratio 36.4, 95% confidence interval 12–114, P < .001). The FISI scores were positively correlated with increasing degrees of anal sphincter disruption (r = 0.81, P < .001). A history of operative vaginal delivery was significantly associated with anal sphincter injury (P = .023). CONCLUSION: Anal incontinence and anal sphincter injury are common in women with other pelvic floor disorders and are significantly related. Operative vaginal delivery may contribute to unrecognized anal sphincter trauma in this population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III

Detrusor instability syndrome: The use of bladder retraining drills with and without anticholinergics

Ninety-two (24.6%) of 374 patients referred to our gynecologic urology unit were found to have instability of the detrusor muscle with no recognizable associated pathologic conditions: idiopathic detrusor instability. Thirty-nine (42.4%) of these 92 patients demonstrated the instability only after detrusor activation maneuvers such as coughing, heel bouncing, or positional changes. The cure rate among patients with both spontaneous and provoked contractions of the detrusor muscle was comparable to the cure rate among those whose bladder contractions were apparent only after detrusor activation maneuvers (p greater than 0.9). The success rate of bladder retraining drills (BRD) as the sole mode of therapy was not significantly different from that observed with BRD combined with anticholinergics (p greater than 0.6).