Relationship Between the PERFECT Scheme, Vaginal Manometry, and Transperineal Ultrasound in Women With and Without Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Cross-Sectional Study

The objective was to compare the functional assessment of the pelvic floor (PERFECT [P = power; E = endurance; R = repetitions; F = fast contractions; ECT = every contraction timed] scheme), vaginal manometry and transperineal ultrasound in women with and in those without stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and to evaluate the correlation among the variables of the three modalities of assessment in both groups.

This was a cross-sectional study involving nonpregnant women with and those without SUI aged between 18 and 60 years. Women with sphincter deficiency, Oxford scale = 0, and prolapse grade ≥ 2 were excluded. Women were evaluated using the PERFECT scheme, vaginal manometry, and transperineal ultrasound. Groups were compared using the Student’s t test, the chi-square test and general linear models. The Spearman correlation test was also performed.

Fifty-one women with SUI (aged 48.5 ± 9.5 years) and 47 women without SUI (aged 47.2 ± 9.2 years) were evaluated. In women with SUI, there was a correlation between vaginal manometry and power (r = 0.87), endurance (r = 0.47) and fast (r = 0.69); between power and endurance (r = 0.53) and fast (r = 0.67); and between endurance and fast (r = 0.61). For the ultrasound variables, there was correlation between the bladder neck and H height, both at rest (r = 0.44) and under stress (r = −0.62); between the ureteric angle at stress and H height at rest (r = 0.49); the ureteric angle at rest (r = 0.74); and the levator anterior area (r = 0.40; p = 0.05 for all measures). None of the ultrasound variables correlated with the PERFECT scheme or the vaginal manometry.

There was no correlation between the ultrasound variables and vaginal manometry or the PERFECT scheme. There was correlation between specific measurements of the PERFECT scheme and vaginal manometry and among some of the ultrasound variables.