Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, R. Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200, Oporto, Portugal.
INEGI - Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, R. Dr. Roberto Frias, 400, 4200, Oporto, Portugal.
Biomech Model Mechanobiol. 2019 Jun;18(3):829-843. doi: 10.1007/s10237-019-01117-5. Epub 2019 Jan 11.
During vaginal delivery women sustain stretching of their pelvic floor, risking tissue injury and adverse outcomes. Since studies in pregnant women are limited with ethical constraints, computational models have become an interesting alternative to elucidate the pregnancy mechanisms. This research investigates the uterine contractions during foetus expulsion without an imposed trajectory. Such physical process is captured by means of a chemo-mechanical constitutive model, where the uterine contractions are triggered by chemical stimuli. The foetus descent, which includes both pushing and resting stages, has a descent rate within the physiological range. Moreover, the behaviour of the foetus and the uterus stretch agree well with clinical data presented in the literature. The follow-up of this study will be to obtain a complete childbirth simulation, considering also the pelvic floor muscles and its supporting structures. The simulation of a realistic rate of descent, including the pushing and resting stages, is of significant importance to study the pelvic floor muscles due to their viscoelastic nature.
在阴道分娩过程中，女性的骨盆底会受到拉伸，有组织损伤和不良后果的风险。由于受限于伦理，对孕妇的研究非常有限，因此计算模型已成为阐明妊娠机制的一种有趣的替代方法。本研究旨在在没有强制轨迹的情况下研究胎儿娩出时的子宫收缩。这种物理过程通过化学机械本构模型来捕获，其中子宫收缩是由化学刺激引发的。胎儿下降包括推挤和休息两个阶段，下降速度在生理范围内。此外，胎儿的行为和子宫的拉伸与文献中呈现的临床数据非常吻合。本研究的后续工作是获得完整的分娩模拟，同时也考虑骨盆底肌肉及其支撑结构。由于骨盆底肌肉具有粘弹性，模拟真实的下降速度，包括推挤和休息阶段，对于研究骨盆底肌肉非常重要。
