Toward the Development of a Vaginal Finger-Cot Device for Measuring Pelvic Floor Muscles Strength

Abstract

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) refers to the involuntary leakage of urine on effort or exertion, like sneezing or coughing and is a common problem in female population. Pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training has been demonstrated to be effective in the prevention and treatment of SUI. Vaginal squeeze pressure (VSP) is the most commonly used parameter on PFM strength, measured by vaginal palpation, by pressure transducers or by self-reported to the physiotherapist. Vaginal palpation is clinically relevant to evaluate PFM activation and to guide patient about correct PFM contraction. Vaginal palpation is questionable as a reliable method to quantify PFM strength nevertheless some detailed palpation scoring systems exist to quantify PFM strength. No single measurement instrument gives an overall view of PFM function. A combination of the advantages of vaginal palpation with a reliable measure of the VSP, in a single instrument, is a challenging purpose. This chapter reports the responsiveness and validity of a customized adjustable finger-cot (vaginal finger-cot device) with an embed strain gauge pressure transducer that allows to measured VSP in a time base. The finger-cot, developed by our research according to women’s health physiotherapists’ specifications, kept preserved the properties of vaginal palpation, minimizing the measurement artifacts inherent to intravaginal probe.