Web-Based Yoga-Pilates: A Prospective Cohort Study.

IMPORTANCE: There are limited data to determine the change in severity, efficacy, and mechanism of action of yoga-Pilates in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to evaluate the effect of an 8-week web-based home yoga-Pilates exercise program on SUI severity and to evaluate the potential mechanism of action through ultrasound examination of the urethral rhabdosphincter cross-sectional area. STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective cohort study of women with SUI. Participants underwent visits pre- and post-intervention, completed quality of life/severity surveys, and underwent pelvic examination and 3-dimensional transperineal ultrasonography to determine the urethral cross-sectional area. Pre- and post-intervention 24-hour voiding diaries were also collected. The intervention was an 8-week online yoga-Pilates video that tracked and prompted participation. RESULTS: Sixty women completed the study; they were predominantly premenopausal (67%) and vaginally parous (65%) and had done yoga (76%) and/or Pilates (44%). Seventy-three percent performed the exercises ≥3 times per week. For the primary outcome, the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form score improved from 9.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.7-10.4) to 7.1 (95% CI, 6.3-7.9) (P < 0.001). The median (interquartile range) number of incontinence episodes per 24 hours decreased from 1 (1-3) to 1 (0-1) (P < 0.001). The Brink pelvic floor strength score improved from 7.1 (95% CI, 6.6-7.7) to 7.7 (95% CI, 7.2-8.2) (P = 0.01). Eighty-three percent reported that they were "better" on Patient Global impression of Improvement. There were no significant changes in urethral measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Although it did not meet the minimal clinically important difference, this 8-week web-based yoga-Pilates exercise program improved SUI symptoms and decreased the number of incontinence episodes in women with SUI.

Changes in Morphology of the Urethral Rhabdosphincter Postpartum.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of pregnancy on urethral rhabdosphincter cross-sectional area (CSA) and any association of CSA to urinary symptoms. METHODS: Nulliparous women planning pregnancy (N = 135) underwent standardized evaluations (symptom and quality of life [QOL] questionnaires, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonography, and neurophysiologic testing) between January 2008 and December 2013 (V1). The participants who became pregnant and gave birth underwent the same evaluations at 6 weeks (V2) and 6 months postpartum (V3). Participants who had magnetic resonance imaging data from both V1 and V3 were selected. We measured urethral rhabdosphincter CSA from high-resolution axial MRIs in a masked fashion. The mean CSA for each participant was calculated. The change from V1 to V3 was assessed. RESULTS: Sixty-eight women were evaluated. There was a significant decrease of 0.05 cm2 (interquartile range, -0.03 to 0.16 cm2; P = 0.002) in the median sphincter CSA between V1 and V3. There was a significant increase in the median Urinary Distress Inventory (UDI) subscore of the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI) from V1 to V3 (median increase of 0 [IQR, 0 to 8.3]; P = 0.033), but this was not significantly correlated with the change in the urethral CSA (Spearman correlation, 0.199; P = 0.107). Increasing fetal weight was correlated with a decrease in CSA postpartum after vaginal birth (Spearman correlation, -0.340; P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: There is a decrease in urethral rhabdosphincter CSA with worsening Urinary Distress Inventory scores from prepregnancy to postpartum, but these two do not correlate in this cohort with low symptom levels. Among women who give birth vaginally, decrease in rhabdosphincter CSA is correlated with increasing fetal weight, perhaps with ramifications to be seen later in life.

Microbiological Analysis of Urine Cultures in Women after Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The rate of urinary tract infection (UTI) after pelvic reconstructive surgery ranges from 9 to 48% and the most common uropathogen is Escherichia coli (E. coli). The aim of the study is to identify the predominant uro-pathogen from urine cultures in women undergoing pelvic reconstructive surgery. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted on women who underwent pelvic reconstructive surgery at a tertiary care center from July 2013 to June 2015. Data was collected from each postoperative visit to evaluate urinary tract symptoms, culture results and treatment in the 3-month postoperative interval. RESULTS: There were 880 cases reviewed (mean age of 59.6 years) during the study period. The most common organism in positive cultures was E. coli after surgery. The total UTI rate was 11.3%. Patients discharged with a Foley catheter had a UTI rate of 65.6% (p = 0.003). Diabetes, neurologic disease, tobacco use, recurrent UTIs and breast or gynecologic cancers had no significant association with UTI after surgery. CONCLUSION: The most common organism identified is E. coli. Almost 12% of patients will develop a UTI after pelvic reconstructive surgery. The results of this study can influence management of lower urinary tract symptoms in the postoperative period.

Pain is an Independent Risk Factor for Failed Global Endometrial Ablation.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether pain, as part of an indication for global endometrial ablation, is an independent risk factor for failure. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: Academic-affiliated community hospital. PATIENTS: Women undergoing global endometrial ablation with radiofrequency ablation (RFA), hydrothermablation (HTA), or uterine balloon ablation (UBA) between January 2003 and December 2015. INTERVENTIONS: Procedure failure was defined as subsequent hysterectomy after the index ablation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 5818 women who underwent an endometrial ablation were identified, including 3706 with RFA (63.7%), 1786 with HTA (30.7%), and 326 with UBA (5.6%). Of the 5818 ablations, 437 (7.5%) involved pain (i.e., pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, lower abdominal pain, endometriosis, or adenomyosis) before ablation, along with abnormal uterine bleeding. Pain as part of the preoperative diagnoses before endometrial ablation was a significant risk factor for subsequent hysterectomy compared with all other diagnoses (19.2% vs 13.5%; p = .001). Consistent with previous studies, women who underwent ablation at an older age were less likely to fail, which held true even when one of the indications for ablation was related to pain (odds ratio, 0.96/year; 95% confidence interval, 0.95-0.97). When the pathology reports of women who underwent a hysterectomy were examined, women in the pain group had lower rates of adenomyosis than women without pain (38.1% vs 50.1%; p = .04). However, there was a trend toward a higher rate of endometriosis on pathology reports (14.3% vs 8.7%; p = .09) and even higher rates of visualized endometriosis identified by operative reports in women who had pain before their ablation (42.9% vs 15.8%; p < .001). Patients who had pain before their ablation were less likely to have myomas/polyps (p = .01). CONCLUSION: Pelvic pain before global endometrial ablation is an independent risk factor for failure.