Can transperineal ultrasound improve the diagnosis of obstetric anal
sphincter injuries?
Abstract
Background: Women with missed Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIs)
are at an increased risk of anal incontinence. Objective: To assess the
accuracy of 3D Transperineal Ultrasound (TPUS) compared with clinical
examination for detecting OASIs. Design: Prospective Observational
longitudinal cohort study. Setting: District General Hospital, UK.
Population or sample: Women undergoing their first vaginal delivery
immediately postpartum. Methods: Perineal trauma was initially assessed
by accouchers and women were then re-examined by a trained research
fellow. A 3D TPUS was performed immediately after delivery before
suturing to look for OASIs. Main outcome measures: OASIs on clinical
examination and on TPUS Main Results: Two hundred and sixty-four women
participated and two hundred and twenty-six (86%) delivered vaginally.
Twenty-one (9%) sustained OASIs. Six (29%) of these tears were missed
by the accoucher but were identified by the trained research fellow.
TPUS identified 19 of the 21 (90.5%) OASIs. One percent (n = 2) had
sonographic appearances of an anal sphincter defect and were not seen
clinically. The positive and negative predictive of TPUS to detect OASIs
were 91% and 99% respectively. TPUS identified 91% of OASIs compared
to 71% detected by the accoucher. However, this was not statistically
significant. Conclusions: More OASIs were identified on TPUS compared to
examination. TPUS may have role in improving the detection rate of
OASIs. Considering immense training and financial implications of using
TPUS, attention needs to be focused on training to accurately identify
anal sphincter defects on clinical examination. Funding:none Keywords:
transperineal ultrasound imaging, obstetric anal sphincter injury