Real-time Shear Wave Elastography Combined with Gray-scale Ultrasound in Evaluating Perineal Body Muscle Tension / 中国医学影像学杂志

ABSTRACT

Purpose To observe the changes of perineal body morphology and modulus of primiparas with real-time shear wave elastography (SWE) combined with gray-scale ultrasound and to explore the influence of delivery on perineal body tension. Materials and Methods One hundred and sixty primiparas after 42 to 56 days of delivery in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from December 2016 to August 2017 were enrolled and divided into cesarean section group (n=80) and vaginal delivery group (n=80). Meanwhile, 100 healthy married nulliparous women during the same period were selected as nulliparous group. Perineal body depth, height and Young's modulus were measured by using gray-scale sonography and SWE at resting state and retraction status. Values of each ultrasonic parameter were analyzed. Results Difference of perineal body depth and height contraction amplitude was of statistical significance among subjects in the three groups (P<0.05). The mean Young's modulus of perineal body during resting state and retraction status in nulliparous group was higher than those in the cesarean section group and vaginal delivery group, while that in cesarean section group was higher than that in vaginal delivery group. The differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Different delivery modes have different effects on female perineal body muscle, among which vaginal delivery is of more obvious damage to perineal body.