The comparison of bladder neck descent and the hiatus area of levator ani between lithotomy position and separating-legs-holding-knees position / 中华超声影像学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate whether the bladder neck descent and the area of levator ani hiatus obtained on the maximum Valsalva were consistent at the lithotomy position and separating-legs-holding-knees position.Methods:Forty four subjects who underwent perineal pelvic floor four-dimensional ultrasound at 6-8 weeks postpartum in Third Hospital of Longgang Shenzhen from November 2019 to January 2020 were enrolled in this study. All subjects were able to effectively complete the maximum Valsalva maneuver both at the lithotomy position and the separating-legs-holding-knees position. The bladder neck descent and hiatus area of the levator Ani on the maximum Valsalva at these two positions were measured and compared.Results:The bladder neck descent at the separating-legs-holding-knees position was higher than that at the lithotomy position [(41.06±8.25)mm vs (39.96±8.10)mm; t=-2.965, P=0.005], and the hiatus area of levator Ani at the separating-legs-holding-knees position was larger than that at the lithotomy position[(27.55±4.90)cm 2 vs (26.32±4.76)cm 2; t=-3.820, P<0.001]. Conclusions:The bladder neck descent and the area of levator Ani hiatus on the maximum Valsalva at separating-legs- holding-knees position are larger than those on the maximum Valsalva at the lithotomy position.