A total of 1625 women underwent both TPUS and TVUS to investigate multi-compartment pelvic floor symptoms where the mean age was 52 +/- 14 years.
Ethnicity
Unfortunately, 775 patients (47.7%) did not have ethnicity recorded. The distribution was as follows: Asians (38,2.3%), Black British (22, 1.4), Black other (106, 6.5%), Mixed (24, 1.5%), Other (33, 2.0%), White British (529, 32.6%) and White other (98, 6%).
Socio-economic status
There were 18 patients (1.1%) with data missing on IMD. The distribution of patients according to IMD quintiles was as follows: IMD quintile 1 (251, 15.4%), IMD quintile 2 (451, 27.8%), IMD quintile 3 (356, 21.9%), IMD quintile 4 (282, 17.4%) and IMD quintile 5 (267, 16.4%).
Anatomical abnormalities detected on TPUS and TVUS
Anatomical abnormalities observed on TPUS were 1134 rectocele, 183 enterocoeles, 175 middle compartment descent, and 742 cystoceles while 713 rectoceles, 104 enterocoeles, and 399 pathological intussusceptions (Grade III-V) were observed on posterior TVUS. Good bladder neck support was seen in 788(71.2%) on anterior TVUS. Of the total, 59.4% of rectocoeles and 40% of enterocoeles were detected on both TPUS and TVUS.
Functional abnormalities detected on TPUS and TVUS
Propulsion and co-ordination on TPUS
On TPUS, 328 patients (20.2%) had data missing for propulsion while 325 patients (20%) for coordination. On TPUS, 952(73.4%) patients had good and 345(26.6%) had poor propulsion. On TPUS, 1018(78.3%) patients had good and 282(21.7%) had poor coordination. A total of 872(67.2%) patients had good propulsion and coordination while 202(15.6%) had poor propulsion and coordination on TPUS.
Propulsion and co-ordination on TVUS
On TVUS, 322 patients (19.8%) had data missing for propulsion and coordination. On TVUS, 844(64.8%) patients had good and 459(35.2%) had poor propulsion. On TVUS, 900 (69.1%) patients had good and 403(30.69%) had poor coordination. A total of 808(62%) patients had good propulsion and coordination while 367(28.2%) had poor propulsion and coordination on TVUS.
Anatomical abnormalities detected on TPUS versus TVUS
Table 1 shows a comparison between findings detected on TPUS and TVUS
After excluding missing data, an enterocoele on TVUS was found in 1.9% when none were found on TPUS (NPV 98.1%), while a rectocele on TVUS was found in 7.9% when none on TPUS (NPV 92.1%). Poor bladder neck support on TVUS was found in 8.8% when no cystocele was observed on TPUS (NPV 91.2%). Fewer anatomical abnormalities (rectocele, enterocoele, cystocele, intussusception, middle compartment descent, and poor bladder neck support) were detected on both TPUS and TVUS when patients had poor co-ordination and propulsion (p-value <0.001).
Table 2 shows a comparison of anatomical abnormalities detected when the propulsion and coordination were good versus poor (p-value < 0.001)