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Women's Health and Biomechanics pp 133–142Cite as

Biomechanical Analysis of the Damage in the Pelvic Floor Muscles During Childbirth

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computational Vision and Biomechanics ((LNCVB,volume 29))

Abstract

The vaginal birth is the leading cause of pelvic floor muscle injuries compromising its function, which can lead to pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence, and other pelvic disorders. These conditions affect many women’s quality of life. As such, biomechanical models emerge to analyze the impact of pregnancy and childbirth in the biomechanics of the pelvic floor, and determine features that potentially contribute to complications during vaginal delivery. Computer models allow structural hypotheses to be analyzed, such as the influence of the shape of the fetal head and its position at delivery, the consequence of specific obstetrical procedures, among others. Damage analysis is especially important to understand the pathophysiology of the associated dysfunctions. The continuous developments in imaging techniques, and the increased computing power, make possible for these frameworks to be clinically valuable, with customized computer models and subject-specific mechanical properties, both in useful time.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. LAETA, INEGI, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Dulce Oliveira, Marco Parente & Renato Natal Jorge

  2. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Centro Hospitalar de São João—EPE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Teresa Mascarenhas

Authors
  1. Dulce Oliveira
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  2. Marco Parente
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  3. Teresa Mascarenhas
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  4. Renato Natal Jorge
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dulce Oliveira .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, CHSJ-EPE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Sofia Brandão

  2. Department of Biomechanics, College of Health and Sport Science (CEFID), Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), Florianópolis, Brazil

    Thuane Da Roza

  3. Department of Radiology, CHSJ-EPE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Isabel Ramos

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, CHSJ-EPE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Teresa Mascarenhas

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Oliveira, D., Parente, M., Mascarenhas, T., Natal Jorge, R. (2018). Biomechanical Analysis of the Damage in the Pelvic Floor Muscles During Childbirth. In: Brandão, S., Da Roza, T., Ramos, I., Mascarenhas, T. (eds) Women's Health and Biomechanics. Lecture Notes in Computational Vision and Biomechanics, vol 29. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71574-2_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71574-2_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71573-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71574-2

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