OBJECTIVE: To compare sonographic parameters related to the urethrovesical junction and proximal urethra in cured and not cured patients surgically treated with the Burch technique, for establishing a possible correlation with prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty female patients were selected and divided into two groups: 15 patients considered as clinically cured and 15 not cured. The patients were submitted to preoperative transvulvar ultrasonography, with the examination being repeated at the 30th and 180th postoperative days. RESULTS: At the preoperative examination, the proximal urethra displacement was largest in the cured patients (15.87 ± 4.55 mm × 12.47 ± 3.52 mm - p < 0.05). At the postoperative examination, with strain, the vertical distance of the urethrovesical junction and the proximal urethra were largest in the cured patients (12.87 ± 5.80 mm × 5.13 ± 6.55 mm - p < 0.01; and 13.07 ± 6.44 mm × 6.20 ± 6.14 mm - p < 0.01), and the vertical displacement of the urethrovesical junction and proximal urethra was largest in the not cured patients (8.47 ± 3.98 mm × 5.13 ± 2.36 mm - p < 0.001; and 8.33 ± 4.54 mm × 5.20 ± 2.90 mm - p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography of the urethrovesical junction and proximal urethra can be considered as an effective method for evaluating prognostic parameters in the surgical management of women with stress urinary incontinence.

Keywords: Transvulvar ultrasonography, Perineal ultrasonography, Urethrovesical junction, Stress urinary incontinence, Burch surgery

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the role of transvulvar ultrasonography in the assessment of anatomical changes following fascia lata sling or tension-free vaginal tape procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty women in the age range between 30 and 60 years had fascia lata sling (20 patients) or tension-free vaginal tape (20 patients) placement for treating stress urinary incontinence. Transvulvar ultrasonography was utilized, both pre- and post-operatively, as the main investigational tool in these cases for evaluating the urethrovesical junction vertical and horizontal distances, pubo-urethral distance and proximal urethra length. RESULTS: The urethrovesical junction vertical distance did not vary significantly after the fascia lata sling surgery (p > 0.10). Both the pubo-urethral distance and the proximal urethra length became shorter (p < 0.003), and the urethrovesical junction horizontal distance was reduced only at rest (p = 0.03). The tension-free vaginal tape procedure resulted in a reduction of the urethrovesical junction vertical distance (p = 0.0005) and of the proximal urethra length (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Transvulvar ultrasonography was of utmost importance in the demonstration that both the fascia lata sling and tension-free vaginal tape surgical procedures elongate the proximal urethra, even though the fascia lata sling technique does it more effectively. The fascia lata sling technique is more focused on shortening the pubo-urethral distance, and the tension-free vaginal tape, on the correction of the vertical displacement of the urethrovesical junction.

Keywords: Transvulvar ultrasound, Perineal ultrasound, Urethrovesical junction, Stress urinary incontinence, Tension-free vaginal tape, Sling procedure

OBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of intraabdominal pressure in the ultrasonographic evaluation of the urethrovesical junction (UVJ) and proximal urethra (PU) in patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Urinary Incontinence Research Unit of "Universidade Federal de Pernambuco", Brazil, from January 2002 to January 2005. Perineal ultrasounds of the UVJ and PU were performed in thirty-six women complaining of SUI with the bladder virtually empty (< 50 ml); simultaneous measurement of the intraabdominal pressure was also performed. An ultrasound machine with a computer chip and a high-resolution photographic camera connected to a 7 MHz vaginal probe was used for the evaluation. In order to measure the intraabdominal pressure, an urodynamic equipment with a 10fr rectal catheter connected to a pressure sensitive balloon was used. RESULTS: The age of the patients ranged from 25 to 69 years (mean 46.4 ± 10.2 years). On Valsava maneuver, the intra-abdominal pressure ranged from 7 to 193 cmH2O (mean: 99.3 ± 51.8 cmH2O; median: 99.5 cmH2O). Eight out of 31 (25.8%) patients with UVJ hypermobility had an intraabdominal pressure lower than 60 cmH2O. There was no statistically significant association between intraabdominal pressure and the ultrasound parameters studied. CONCLUSION: There is a specific urethral pressure index for each woman with SUI. However, there is no significant association between increase in intraabdominal pressure and increase of UVJ and UP hypermobility in women with clinical SUI.

Keywords: Stress urinary incontinence, Abdominal pressure, Perineal ultrasound, Urethrovesical junction

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of bladder volume on perineal ultrasound assessments of the urethrovesical junction (UVJ) mobility and proximal urethral (PU) length in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women with SUI were submitted to perineal ultrasound assessments of UVJ mobility and PU length with both full and practically empty (< 50 ml of urine) bladder. RESULTS: The means, in millimeters, of the measured parameters with a practically empty and full bladder were as follows: at rest: UVJ vertical distance (UVJVD) = 15 and 13.5 (p = 0.3347), UVJ horizontal distance (UVJHD) = 14 and 15 (p = 0.3767), pubourethral distance (PUD) = 13 and 13 (p = 0.8065), PU = 15 and 14 (p = 0.8011); on strain: UVJVD = 0 and 4 (p = 0.0281), UVJHD = 21 and 19.5 (p = 0.7501), PUD = 18.5 and 15 (p = 0.1592), PU = 0 and 4 (p = 0.0479); the resulting movements: UVJVD = 16 and 15 (p = 0.0047), UVJHD = 6 and 5 (p = 0.3542), PUD = 7 and 5.5 (p = 0.1789), PU = 12 and 8 (p = 0.0496). CONCLUSION: The comparison of UVJ parameters using perineal ultrasound with the bladder practically empty as well as full showed that vertical movement of the UVJ and PU length and their status on strain were significantly increased in patients with a practically empty bladder.

Keywords: Urethrovesical junction, Stress urinary incontinence, Perineal ultrasound