Parturient perineal distensibility tolerance assessed by EPI-NO: an observational study

• Published in: Einstein (São Paulo, Brazil) Brazil), 2014-01, Vol.12 (1), p.22-26
• Main Authors: Nakamura, Mary Uchiyama, Sass, Nelson, Elito Júnior, Julio, Petricelli, Carla Dellabarba, Alexandre, Sandra Maria, Araujo Júnior, Edward, Zanetti, Miriam Raquel Diniz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Assoalho pélvico/instrumentação; Cross-Sectional Studies; Episiotomy - methods; Female; Gestantes; Humans; Lacerations - prevention & control; MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL; Muscle Contraction - physiology; Obstetric Labor Complications - prevention & control; Original; Pain Measurement; Parity - physiology; Parto; Pelvic Floor - physiology; Pelvic Pain - prevention & control; Perineum - injuries; Perineum - physiology; Períneo; Pregnancy; Reference Values; Reproducibility of Results; Statistics, Nonparametric; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1679-4508; 2317-6385; 2317-6385; 1679-4508
• DOI: 10.1590/S1679-45082014AO2944

To determine how parturient women tolerate the use of a perineal distensibility assessment technique using the EPI-NO device. An observational study with a total of 227 full-term parturient women was performed. During the evaluation with EPI-NO, parturient patients were asked about their sensation of discomfort. The degree of discomfort was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale, with a score from zero to 10. The Mann-Whitney test was applied to assess perineal distensibility measured by EPI-NO and the degree of discomfort caused by the test according to parity. The relation between perineal distensibility and discomfort was analyzed by using the Spearman correlation test (r). The test with EPI-NO caused only slight discomfort (mean Visual Analogue Scale of 3.8), and primiparous women reported significantly greater discomfort (mean Visual Analogue Scale of 4.5) than did multiparous (mean Visual Analogue Scale=3.1), with p