IN VIVO TESTING OF THE VISCOELASTIC PROPERTIES OF UTERINE SUSPENSORY TISSUE IN WOMEN WITH PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE

摘要

Pelvic floor dysfunction has resulted in 11% of women undergoing surgery [1] during their lifespan in the USA. Over 200,000 prolapse operations are performed yearly [2] and the annual estimated cost for these operations exceeds US $1 billion [3]. Pelvic organ prolapse often occurs in women 20 to 30 years after they had children vaginally. The uterine support provided by the cardinal (CL) and uterosacral ligaments (USL) is thought to play an important role in pelvic organ prolapse [4]. However, the viscoelastic behaviour of the CL and USL in living women with prolapse has not been quantified.