Factors Associated with Pelvic Floor Muscle Strength in Women with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Assessed by the Brink Scale

Abstract

Objective: (1) to examine the pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function using the Brink scale and (2) to investigate the correlation between potential factors and PFM function. Material and Methods: From January 2011 and December 2014, women with at least one pelvic floor symptom attending the urogynecology clinic were included in a medical record review. Demographic and pelvic floor symptoms were assessed. The Brink scoring system was used to assess the PFM function. The association between factors and Brink scale scores was measured using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient. Results: Five hundred and seventy-nine women with a mean age of 64.40±10.11 years were included in the analysis. Forty-seven women (8.1%) were unable to contract their pelvic floor muscle at all, while 55 (9.5%) could both powerfully and properly. The mean Brink scale score was 7.82±2.56. Elderly women had a significantly lower score than younger women (mean scores of 7.56±2.60 and 8.08±2.50, respectively) with the mean score in nulliparous and parous women being 8.66±2.63 and 7.76±2.55, respectively (p-value=0.046). A negatively weak correlation was found among those with higher total scores and advancing age (correlation (r)=-0.106), advanced anterior (r=-0.095) and apical compartment (r=-0.105) prolapse (p-value<0.05). Conclusion: Almost all the women with pelvic floor dysfunction had compromised pelvic floor function. Important factors affecting PFM strength are age, parity, and history of hysterectomy. Increasing age, higher stage of anterior and apical compartment prolapse were negatively correlated with PFM function.

Keywords

• brink scale
• pelvic floor dysfunction
• pelvic floor muscle strength
• pelvic organ prolapse