Reliability of manometry for assessing pelvic floor muscle function in healthy men

To the best of our knowledge, no study has examined the reliability of assessment methods for male pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the reliability of manometry with an anal sensor (Peritron cat 9300A) to assess PFM function in healthy men.

Healthy male subjects (n = 21) without urinary leakage underwent testing to assess PFM function, and intra- and interrater reliability tests among examiners were performed. The PFM function included maximal anorectal squeeze pressure, endurance, mean anorectal squeeze pressure, gradient, and area under the curve during PFM voluntary contraction.

Participants had a median age of 38 years (range 26-51), and a mean BMI of 23.2 ± 2.0 kg/m² . Satisfactory intra- and interrater reliability scores were found for resting pressure, anorectal squeeze pressure, and endurance. The intra-rater reliability of resting pressure, anorectal squeeze pressure, and endurance were 0.71, 0.89, and 0.75 for examiner 1 and 0.72, 0.89, and 0.87 for examiner 2. The interrater reliability for resting pressure, anorectal squeeze pressure, and endurance were 0.58, 0.93, and 0.61, respectively.

This is the first prospective study showing the favorable intra- and interrater reliability of manometry for PFM function in healthy men. Our findings demonstrated that manometry can provide both reliable and reproducible data regarding PFM function in continent men, suggesting Peritron cat 9300A can be used to evaluate the PFM function in men.