ArticleArchives of gynecology and obstetrics2024
In vivo measurement of the elastic properties of pelvic floor muscles in pregnancy using shear wave elastography.
Article in Archives of gynecology and obstetrics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Quantitative Assessment of Vascularization and Stiffness in Salivary Glands During Pregnancy Using Superb Microvascular Imaging and Shear Wave Elastography Techniques.Journal of clinical ultrasound : JCU · 2026Article
- Ultrasound shear wave elastography for the assessment of pelvic floor muscle stiffness: technical and analytical challenges in practice.Ultrasonography (Seoul, Korea) · 2026Article
- The Emerging Role of Sonoelastography in Pregnancy: Applications in Assessing Maternal and Fetal Health.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveWe aimed to investigate changes in the elastic properties of levator ani muscle (LAM) and external anal sphincter (EAS) during pregnancy using shear wave elastography (SWE). Our secondary objective was to examine the association between the elastic properties of pelvic floor muscles (PFM) and perineal tears at childbirth.
methodsThis was a prospective monocentric study, including nulliparous women. Three visits were planned (14-18, 24-28, and 34-38 weeks) with a SWE assessment of the LAM and EAS at rest and during Valsalva maneuver. Then, we collected data about the delivery's characteristics. Assessments were performed using an Aixplorer V12
resultsForty-seven women were considered. Forty-five women had vaginal delivery of which 38 (84.4%) had perineal tears. We did not report any significant changes in the elastic properties of PFM during pregnancy. Women with an intact perineum at delivery had a stiffer EAS at Valsalva maneuver in late pregnancy (27.0 kPa vs. 18.2 kPa; p < 0.005).
conclusionsThere were no significant changes in the elastic properties of the PFM in pregnancy. Stiffer EAS in late pregnancy appears to be associated with a lower incidence of perineal tears.
Indexed as
Identifiers
37535132What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.