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Pelvic floor nerve conduction studies: establishing clinically relevant normative data
Ambre L Olsen1, Mark Ross, R Brent Stansfield
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City 52442-1080, USA.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to establish data for normative distributions for pudendal and perineal nerve compound muscle action potential data in healthy women across a wide age range and varied history of vaginal deliveries.
Study Design:
We studied 42 continent women, aged 20 to 67 years, including 29% nulliparous women with a disposable St. Mark's electrode to stimulate the pudendal nerve at the ischial spine by a transvaginal approach. The pudendal terminal motor latency and amplitude were detected with the use of surface patch electrodes overlying the external anal sphincter; the perineal responses were measured with the use of a surface ring electrode at the proximal urethra.
Results:
None of the data were distributed normally and required the use of negative inverse and cube root transformations to create a normal distribution. Clinical correlations were found with advancing age and vaginal delivery.
Conclusion:
The collection of these data allows for the definition of normal limits and begins the study of clinically important variables on test results and clinical outcomes.
