Quantitatively evaluation on pelvic floor dysfunction by virtual touch tissue imaging quantification shear wave elastography

Objective:To investigate the value of(VTIQ)shear wave elastography in the diagnosis of pelvic floor dysfunction.Methods:20 patients with pelvic floor dysfunction and 40 healthy volunteers were enrolled in and devided into the pelvic floor dysfunction(PFD)group and the control group.20 cases in the normal non-fertile(NNF)group and the normal fertile(NF)group respectively were including in the control group.The Young's modulus of puborectalis(PR)in three groups was measured by virtual touch tissue imaging quantification(VTIQ)at different states.The Young's modulus of PR and their differences in the three groups and between groups were compared and calculated.Receiver-operating characteristic curve(ROC)analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic value of VTIQ,and the area under the curve(AUC)was compared.Results:Young's modulus of PR at resting-state,maximun rectal state and Vasalva state in NNF group and NF group were statistical significance(all P<0.05).Young's modulus of maximun rectal state was higher than that of resting-state and Vasalva state in PFD group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in Young's modulus between the resting-state and Vasalva state in the PFD group(P>0.05).Difference of PR Young's modulus between resting status and maximun rectal state and that between resting status and Vasalva state were of statistical significance among the three groups(all P<0.05).ROC curves analyses indicated that the AUC,cut-off value,sensitivity,specificity and Youden index of the difference between the Young's modulus of resting status and maximun rectal state measured by VTIQ in control group and PFD group were 0.788,35.45kPa,91.67%,57.14%,0.488,espectively.The AUC,cut-off value,sensitivity,specificity and Youden index of the difference between the Young's modulus of resting status and Vasalva state measured by VTIQ in control group and PFD group were 0.799,14.00kPa,63.89%,85.71%,0.496,respectively.There was no significant difference in AUC between the two groups(Z=0.130,P>0.05).Conclusion:VTIQ technology is an effective method to quantitatively assess the biomechanical properties of PR.The effect of labor on the puborectalis muscle was not significant.The increase of Young's modulus of passive stretching in vasalva state was not significant in patients with pelvic floor dysfunction.The difference between resting status and maximun rectal state and difference between resting status and Vasalva state is more advantageous to the diagnosis of pelvic floor dysfunction disorder.