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VOLUME 17 , ISSUE 3 ( July-September, 2023 ) > List of Articles

REVIEW ARTICLE

Three-dimensional/Four-dimensional Pelvic Floor Ultrasound

Hans P Dietz

Keywords : Avulsion, Birth trauma, Four-dimensional ultrasound, Levator ani, Obstetric anal sphincter injury, Pelvic organ prolapse, Ultrasound

Citation Information : Dietz HP. Three-dimensional/Four-dimensional Pelvic Floor Ultrasound. Donald School J Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2023; 17 (3):248-269.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10009-1984

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 30-09-2023

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2023; The Author(s).


Abstract

Ultrasound is the primary imaging method in gynecology, and it is also widely used in urology and colorectal surgery. This makes the modality increasingly popular in the imaging assessment of pelvic floor anatomy, a field all three specialties are routinely involved with. This development is long overdue, especially as pathophysiology and etiology of most pelvic floor conditions are still poorly understood. The advent of three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound allows access to the axial plane and arbitrarily definable parasagittal and oblique planes which has greatly facilitated the assessment of the levator ani muscle, the anal sphincter, and of paraurethral abnormalities such as urethral diverticula. At least as importantly, four-dimensional (4D) ultrasound enables the observation of function in the form of maneuvers such as cough, Valsalva, and pelvic floor muscle contraction.

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