Usefulness of transperineal ultrasound in the evaluation of anal sphincter injuries

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the usefulness of transperineal ultrasound in the diagnosis of anal sphincter injuries in cases of forceps delivery. Subjects and Methods: A prospective study was conducted between April 2013 and March 2015. Thirty primiparous women who underwent forceps delivery were evaluated for anal sphincter injuries via visual inspection by medical delivery assistants soon after delivery and via perineal ultrasound by a single physician (FJSUM) 4 days later. Results: Eight (27%) and 16 (52%) of the 30 patients were diagnosed with anal sphincter injuries by visual inspection and perineal ultrasound, respectively. Of the 22 patients not diagnosed with anal sphincter injuries via visual inspection, 11 (50%) had anal sphincter injuries according to perineal ultrasound. Conclusions: Perineal ultrasound made it possible to detect anal sphincter injuries that were not found via visual inspection by medical delivery assistants. Moreover, it was useful when we wanted to check whether the injuries were repaired or not.