ArticleNeurourology and urodynamics2019
Association of index finger palpatory assessment of pubovisceral muscle body integrity with MRI-documented tear.
Article in Neurourology and urodynamics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- On Lingering Pelvic Floor Musculoskeletal Injuries in the Postpartum Athlete: Are We Adequately Addressing Them?Sports health · 2026Article
- Assessing Postpartum Levator Ani Muscle Recovery: A Feasibility Study on Automated Texture Analysis in Transvaginal Ultrasound.Ultrasound in medicine & biology · 2025Article
- Comprehensive pelvic muscle assessment: Developing and testing a dual e-Learning and simulation-based training program.Neurourology and urodynamics · 2023Article
- The RISE FOR HEALTH study: Methods for in-person assessment and biospecimen collection.Neurourology and urodynamics · 2023Article
- Mechanisms of pelvic floor muscle training for managing urinary incontinence in women: a scoping review.BMC women's health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
aimsPubovisceral (PV) muscle tears are associated with pelvic floor disorders. The goal of this study was to determine whether index finger palpatory assessment of PV muscle body integrity through the lateral vaginal wall is a reliable indicator of PV muscle tear severity diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
methodsWe studied 85 women, 7 weeks after vaginal birth. All had at least one risk factor for obstetric-related PV muscle tear. The ordinal outcome measure of MRI-documented PV muscle tear was defined as: none, less than 50% unilateral tear, 50% or greater unilateral tear or less than 50% bilateral tear, and 50% or greater bilateral tear. PV muscle body integrity by palpatory assessment was scored on a matrix, with each side scored independently and classified as PV muscle body "present" (assuredly felt), "equivocal" (not sure if felt), or "absent" (assuredly not felt). Proportional odds models were constructed to estimate the relationship between PV muscle body integrity palpatory assessment and MRI-documented PV muscle tears.
resultsThirty-five percent of study participants exhibited varying degrees of MRI-documented PV muscle tears. Using palpatory assessment, we identified "PV muscle body present bilaterally" in 20%, "equivocal unilaterally or present contralaterally" in 8%, "equivocal or absent unilaterally" or "equivocal bilaterally" in 62%, and "absent bilaterally" in 9%. The odds ratio for estimating MRI results from palpatory assessment was 3.62 (95% confidence interval = 1.70-7.73, P = 0.001).
conclusionsA rapid and inexpensive palpatory assessment in the clinic was highly associated with the risk of MRI-documented PV muscle tear and is a useful component of a clinical assessment.
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Registered trials
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