Pelvic Floor News and Research

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The pelvic floor is a thin but strong sheet of muscle and connective tissue that closes off the pelvic cavity from below. It supports the pelvic organs, which include the urinary bladder, the uterus, cervix and vagina, and the last part of the large bowel (the rectum) in women. In men, it contains the bladder and the rectum.

Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery now indexed in MEDLINE

The American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) and Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) are pleased to announce that Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS), the official journal of the AUGS, has been selected for indexing in MEDLINE, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's (NLM) premier bibliographic database. LWW, part of Wolters Kluwer Health, is the publisher Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery.

24 Apr 2012

Pelvic floor muscle training effective for adult women with urinary incontinence

A type of exercise called pelvic floor muscle training is effective for treating adult women with urinary incontinence (the involuntary loss of urine) without risk of side effects, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The report also found that drug-based treatments can be effective, but the degree of benefit is low and side effects are common.

11 Apr 2012

Novel device for measuring pelvic floor muscle strength

It is estimated that urine loss affects 30% of women at some point in their lives. Despite this high incidence rate, up until now clinical evaluation of patients suffering from this problem has been based on tactile examination, a subjective procedure that is not carried out in a consistent way by different medical professionals.

26 Mar 2012

Women more likely to experience UI following vaginal delivery

Women are nearly three times more likely to experience urinary incontinence for more than 10 years following a vaginal delivery rather than a caesarean section, finds new research at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

26 Mar 2012

NAFC honors VUMC nurse practitioner with Rodney Appell Continence Care Champion Award

The National Association For Continence (NAFC) presented Margaret "Amy" Hull, RNC, MSN, WHCNP, with its Rodney Appell Continence Care Champion Award at the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates (SUNA) annual awards luncheon on March 3, 2012 held during the 2012 SUNA Annual Symposium in San Francisco.

21 Mar 2012

Botox - a potential for therapy of weak bladders in women

The study, published in the journal European Urology, was carried out at eight uro-gynecology centers in the UK from 2006 to 2009 by researchers from the University of Leicester. A total of 240 women were split into two groups, with 122 women given Botox and 118 receiving a dummy treatment. Researchers found improvements across a range of symptoms, including wetting oneself and feeling a need to rush to the toilet, and how often the women 'leaked' urine.

13 Mar 2012

Botulinum toxin effective in treating OAB among women

The biggest study into the treatment of urinary incontinence with botulinum toxin (trade name Botox) has demonstrated that it is effective in treating overactive bladder (OAB) - a debilitating common condition which can affect up to 20% of people over the age of 40.

12 Mar 2012

ROSETTA Study to compare two therapies in women with overactive bladder

Overactive bladder, or the sudden urge to urinate, affects the quality of life of many women. Studies have shown that not all women respond to or can tolerate oral medications and may benefit from other therapies.

1 Mar 2012

Coloplast's InterDry textile receives Most Innovative New Product award from NAFC

The National Association For Continence (NAFC) presented the Most Innovative New Product award to Coloplast for its new product, InterDry Ag, a textile that helps reduce the risk of moisture-associated skin damage, most often diagnosed as intertriginous dermatitis (intertrigo).

29 Feb 2012

UC San Diego surgeon removes diseased gallbladder through belly button

On Tuesday, December 20th, Santiago Horgan, MD, chief of minimally invasive surgery at UC San Diego Health System was the first surgeon in the United States to remove a diseased gallbladder through a patient's belly button with the aid of a new FDA-approved da Vinci Si Surgical System.

23 Dec 2011

Link between vitamin D deficiency and urinary incontinence

Vitamin D deficiency is higher among certain demographic segments, including women, the elderly, and the obese. All three groups also share an increased risk of pelvic floor problems, including urinary incontinence. Could there be a connection? Perhaps so, according to recent research.

12 Dec 2011

NIH selects Women & Infants to participate in Pelvic Floor Disorders Network

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island has been selected by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to participate in the national Pelvic Floor Disorders Network (PFDN). Women & Infants is one of just eight medical centers from across the US, and the only one in the Northeast, to work collaboratively to develop and perform research studies related to women with pelvic floor disorders.

21 Oct 2011

Combination therapy more effective for fecal incontinence

Combination therapy for fecal incontinence is more effective than the current standard treatment. This is the conclusion of a randomized trial comparing the different treatments, described by Thilo Schwandner and colleagues in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.

14 Oct 2011

Boston Scientific releases statement on safety, effectiveness of surgical mesh for POP and SUI

Boston Scientific Corporation today issued the following statement from John Pedersen, Senior Vice President and President of the Company's Urology and Women's Health Division, following the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Obstetrics & Gynecology Devices Advisory Committee.

12 Sep 2011

SWHR congressional briefing highlights health issues facing women veterans today

The physical and mental health problems affecting women veterans are a major issue within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense, and the catalyst for the Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) congressional briefing, Women Veteran's Health: Sexx Matters held on Tuesday, August 2.

4 Aug 2011

Loss of elasticity and protein breakdown cause pelvic organ prolapse

A gynecologist and a molecular biologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center have collaborated to show for the first time that pelvic organ prolapse - a condition in which the uterus, bladder or vagina protrude from the body - is caused by a combination of a loss of elasticity and a breakdown of proteins in the vaginal wall.

24 May 2011

Mesh surgery more effective for patients with pelvic organ prolapse

A Nordic multicentre study, headed by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, shows that pelvic organ prolapse surgery using synthetic mesh can be more effective than traditional surgery.

12 May 2011

Caldera's Desara Mini implant for Stress Urinary Incontinence receives CE Mark certification

Caldera Medical today announced that it has achieved CE Mark certification for its Desara Mini implant, an extension of its popular Desara brand for the treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence.

6 May 2011

Simbionix to exhibit new training simulator for pelvic floor repair at ACOG

Simbionix USA Corporation, the world's leading provider of medical education and simulation training products for medical professionals and the healthcare industry, is pleased to announce its new training simulator for pelvic floor repair, to be exhibited for the first time at the ACOG 59th Annual Clinical Meeting in Washington, DC, April 30- May 4, 2011.

3 May 2011

NAFC honors UT Southwestern nurse with Continence Care Champion Award

The National Association For Continence presented Tamara Dickinson, RN, CURN, CCCN, BCB-PMD, with its Rodney Appell Continence Care Champion Award at the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates luncheon on March 11, held during the 2011 SUNA Annual Symposium in New Orleans.

8 Apr 2011