Search Results (2)

Objectives: Strain elastography (SE) is a non-invasive ultrasound-based technique for evaluating tissue elasticity. This study investigated whether SE can reproducibly detect differences in suburethral tissue stiffness between women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and continent controls. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 40 women (20 with SUI, 20 continent controls) underwent introital two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound in the midsagittal plane at rest. SE was performed at three predefined suburethral regions of interest (ROIs): the internal urethral orifice (IUO), midurethra (MU), and external urethral orifice (EUO), with the adipose layer (AL) serving as reference tissue. Group comparisons and reproducibility analyses were conducted. Results: SE enabled reliable in vivo assessment of suburethral elasticity. Women with SUI demonstrated significantly higher tissue elasticity at all three urethral levels compared to controls. The MU level showed the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.813; sensitivity = 0.65; specificity = 0.85). Measurement reproducibility was excellent, with intraclass correlation coefficients exceeding 0.95 across all ROIs. Conclusions: SE is a feasible, reproducible imaging modality for assessing suburethral biomechanics in women with SUI. It effectively distinguishes affected individuals from continent controls, particularly at the midurethral level. Standardized protocols and diagnostic thresholds are needed to facilitate clinical integration of SE in the evaluation and management of SUI. Full article

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of different types of hysterectomy on UI symptoms, quality of life and sexual functions using dedicated questionnaires. We investigated a correlation between the urethral length (UL), UI symptoms and the length of the cervix (left after LSH and SH) with sexual functions. The study enrolled 500 consecutive women referred for hysterectomy: 121 underwent VH, 171 underwent LSH, 96 underwent SH, 68 underwent TAH, and 44 underwent TLH. The patients filled in the UI-specific questionnaires and FSFI before and 12 months after hysterectomy. The UL was measured by introital ultrasound before and 12 months after hysterectomy. Before surgery, 137 out of 399 (34.3%) patients had UI symptoms; afterwards, 139 (34.8%) indicated the same (p > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the UL in the patients before and after the procedure, and the cervix length did not differ between patients after LSH and SH. When the entire investigated population was analyzed, a significant improvement of the QoL was found on the IIQ-7. Hysterectomy performed due to benign diseases has effects on UI regardless of the surgical technique used. The UI symptoms improved only in the patients after LSH. The UL measured 12 months after hysterectomy did not change. Full article