Objective: To explore the feasibility of three-dimensional (3D) transperineal ultrasound on the observation of paravaginal support in nulliparous and postpartum women.
Methods: Volume datasets were acquired in 50 nulliparous and 100 postpartum women using 3D transperineal ultrasound. Paravaginal supports were observed by studying the vaginal cross-sectional morphology. The extent of paravaginal support in specific level were evaluated by counting out at a 2 mm interval in tomographic ultrasound imaging mode in all subjects. The Mann-Whitney U test were applied to establish comparisons between the two groups.
Results: Three representative manifestations of vaginal cross-sectional morphology corresponding to different paravaginal support were presented from the dorsal side to the caudal side, both in nulliparous women and postpartum women. The extent of paravaginal support in middle vagina was 11 slices (range 9-12) in nulliparous women and 7 slices (range 4-10) in postpartum women (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: This pilot study confirmed that it was feasible to indirectly study paravaginal support by observing the vaginal cross-sectional morphology using 3D transperineal ultrasound.
Keywords: Paravaginal support; Three-dimensional transperineal ultrasound; Tomographic ultrasound imaging; Vaginal cross-sectional morphology.