Multi-Regional Pelvic Floor Muscle Function Diagnosis System Based on Inflatable Stretchable Electrode Array.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Clinical Diagnostics
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) diagnosis requires precise identification of lesions in complex pelvic floor muscle (PFM) groups.
• Current diagnostic methods may lack the precision needed for effective PFD treatment.
• Developing advanced systems is crucial for accurate PFM assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a multi-region pelvic floor muscle functional diagnosis system (MPDS) for precise PFM lesion localization.
• To investigate the utility of MPDS in diagnosing PFD symptoms, specifically postpartum stress urinary incontinence (PSUI).
• To enhance diagnostic accuracy and reliability in assessing PFM abnormalities.

Main Methods:

• Developed an MPDS utilizing an inflatable stretchable electrode array for pelvic floor electromyography (EMG) collection.
• Conducted clinical diagnostic experiments on 56 PSUI patients and 73 asymptomatic postpartum controls.
• Assessed EMG parameters like activation time differences (ATD) and employed Jensen-Shannon (JS) divergence for verification and localization of abnormal muscle groups.

Main Results:

• MPDS successfully identified functional abnormalities in the Pubococcygeus (PC) and Puborectalis (PR) muscles by analyzing AT sequences.
• JS divergence analysis confirmed lower rapid contraction contribution values in the PC and PR regions for the PSUI group compared to controls.
• These findings correlated with observed urinary control dysfunction in PSUI patients.

Conclusions:

• The MPDS demonstrates efficacy in accurately locating target muscle groups with functional abnormalities within the PFM.
• The system shows significant potential for precise assessment of complex PFM structures.
• MPDS can improve the diagnostic precision and reliability of PFM assessments, aiding in PFD management.