Pelvic floor evaluation with transperineal ultrasound: a new approach.

The increased life expectancy, the importance of the prevention in younger age and the role of the pelvic floor dysfunction not only in the disease of the third age, but also in the childbearing age, as the influence on the type of delivery, underline the importance of the evaluation of the pelvic floor. The evaluation of pelvic floor is generally clinical, but in the last 2 decades, the use of ultrasound has become a mainstream diagnostic tool in the investigation of female pelvic organ prolapse, urinary and fecal incontinence and defecation disorders, providing an immediate objective confirmation of findings obtained on clinical examination and filling some of the gaps of the urogynecological exam. The use of transabdominal ultrasound was the first developed, while the use of translabial, transrectal and transvaginal techniques started later. This review will focus on the use of transperineal ultrasound, including two-dimensional (2D), three-dimensional (3D) and 4D imaging, as a valuable and objective method in the urogynecological evaluation, allowing the assessment of the pelvic floor anatomy and its functions and dysfunctions, the choice of the right type of treatment and the analysis of the changes after surgical treatment and its complications. The ultrasound approach has become an important instrument for the prevention, but also for the analysis of the disease, and to understand the importance of the pelvic floor function in different period of life of a woman.