Pelvic Organ Prolapse Vaginal Surgery, Vaginal Hysterectomy
Conditions
Keywords
Hysterectomy, Prolapse, Pelvic floor muscles, Bladder, Bowel
Brief summary
Optimal pelvic floor muscle function is known to assist bladder and bowel function and control, pelvic organ support, as well as other areas of health. It is also known that problems in some of tehse areas can be a consequence of pelvic surgery. By addressing the requirements for good bladder and bowel function/control, and organ support in the early post-surgery phase when tissue repair and scar formation are critical, it is proposed that there will be a rduction in the longterm prevalence of bladder problems, bowel difficulties and weakened pelvic floor and abdominal muscles in post-surgery patients. This study is a randomised controlled trial to compare patients undergoing a physiotherapy-supervised pelvic floor muscle training and behavioural therapy program with a control group. It is hypothesised that at the 12 month post-operative follow-up assessment, the treatment group will demonstrate better outcomes in bladder and bowel function and control, as well as stronger pelvic floor muscle contractile strength than the control group.
Detailed description
Optimal pelvic floor muscle function is known to assist bladder and bowel function and control, pelvic organ support, as well as other areas of pelvic health. It is also known that problems in some of these areas can develop after pelvic surgery. By addressing the requirements for good bladder and bowel function/control, and organ support in the early post-surgical phase when tissue repair and scar formation are critical, it is proposed that there will be a reduction in the long-term prevalence of bladder and bowel dysfunction, and weak pelvic floor and abdominal muscles in post-surgical patients. There have been no previous studies investigating whether a physiotherapy intervention can assist pelvic function in this group of surgical patients. This study aims to investigate the effect of a physiotherapy treatment program on pelvic function following gynaecological surgery. Comparisons: Pre- and post-operative physiotherapy treatment vs no treatment following gynaecological surgery. Outcome measures: Pelvic floor muscle strength, urine leakage, quality of life, sexual functioning, general fitness, measured at 3, 6 and 12 months post-operatively
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPelvic floor muscle training and lifestyle modification
Sponsors
University of Melbourne
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* undergoing vaginal gynaecological surgery, for hysterectomy or prolapse repair
Exclusion criteria
* surgery for malignancy * anti-incontinence surgery * laparotomy
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bladder symptom (prevalence and bother) questionnaire. | Pre-operative compared to 12 months post-operative | A questionnaire about bladder symptoms |
| Prolapse symptom (prevalence and bother) questionnaire. | Pre-operative compared to 12 months post-operative | A questionnaire about prolapse symptoms |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pelvic floor muscle strength. | Pre-operative compared to 12 months post-operative | Strength assessed via digital muscle testing |
Countries
Australia
Outcome results
None listed