Perineal descent (PD) is a sign of connective tissue weakness of the pelvic floor, it can be measured mechanically or radiologically. Joint hypermobility can be a sign of a generalised connective tissue abnormality, there is an increased incidence of pelvic organ prolapse and faecal incontinence amongst patients with heritable connective tissues diseases. To explore the relevance of PD and the relationship between connective tissue abnormality and pelvic floor dysfunction five studies were performed.A new mechanical device for the measurement of PD, the laser commode, and the established mechanical device, the perineometer were compared to the current gold standard method of measurement, defaecating proctography in 68 subjects. The laser commode provided a mean overall PD measurement closer to that of proctography than the perineometer but the repeatability and reproducibility of the measurements were not accurate enough for the laser commode to be used either in the subsequent parts of this research project or in a clinical setting.Perineal descent was measured using proctography and joint hypermobility was measured using the Beighton score in 70 females with pelvic floor dysfunction. No correlation was found between PD and joint mobility.A review of 323 proctograms of females with pelvic floor dysfunction found an association between PD and rectal prolapse but no association between either PD and rectocele formation or PD and rectal intussusception. The Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory questionnaires of 133 females were correlated with their proctography findings. There was no association between PD and any of the clinical symptoms. Biopsies from the rectus sheath and pelvic floor fascia of 19 females with rectal prolapse were compared to those of 8 normal controls. There was no difference in collagen or elastin content between the groups but participant numbers were small. The pelvic floor fascia of the rectal prolapse group showed a higher percentage of well organised elastin than that of the control group but this did not reach statistical significance. Perineal descent does not appear to be a consistent indicator of severe pelvic floor connective tissue abnormality or injury. This study has furthered our understanding of perineal descent and the relationships between this finding and other pelvic floor disorders caused by connective tissue weakness. Future work will focus on further histological analysis of tissue from patients with rectal prolapse in combination with the use of more sensitive methods to establish the presence of an underlying connective tissue abnormality.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:574333 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Faulkner, Gemma |
| Contributors | Kiff, Edward |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-relationship-between-connective-tissue-abnormality-and-pelvic-floor-dysfunction(d79df4c1-60b8-4546-ac07-b715ea017f56).html |
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