Measuring Superficial Pelvic Floor Muscle Properties Using Transperineal Grayscale and Sonographic Elastography: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Objective: The objective was to test the feasibility and acceptability of a novel protocol to measure the properties of the superficial pelvic floor muscles (sPFMs) using grayscale ultrasonography (US), point shear-wave elastography (pSWE), and strain elastography (SE). Materials and Methods: This was an observational feasibility study. Feasibility was determined by assessing the number of US images acquired to measure sPFM properties using these tools. Thickness of the sPFMs was assessed using grayscale US, while stiffness and elasticity were measured using pSWE and SE. Results: Twenty-six women participated in this study. The US image acquisitions and analyses of sPFM properties were compl..