Biomechanical Mapping of the Female Pelvic Floor

The female pelvic floor includes the muscles, ligaments, connective tissues and nerves that support the uterus, bladder, vagina and rectum. It is a complex system which may have multiple diseased conditions related to changes in biomechanical conditions of pelvic tissues and structures. Among them are highly prevalent pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence and tissue atrophy.Biomechanical Mapping of the Female Pelvic Floor explores new technological advances in women’s healthcare intended to improve pelvic floor characterization, diagnosis and prediction of treatment outcomes. By discussing different technologies used on the biomechanical characterization of pelvic floor, it describes the anatomy, physiology, musculoskeletal, and tissue characteristics of the pelvic floor tissues, and explores how to detect conditions that may lead to problems such as spontaneous preterm delivery and childbirth trauma, providing insight into ways to reduce childbirth related injury and Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs).This book is a valuable resource for researchers focused on gynecology, urogynecology or obstetrics, clinicians, graduate students and biomedical scientists and bioengineers who need to understand more the technological advances on biomechanical characterization and how they can be used not only for diagnosis but also for monitoring several OBGYN-related conditions. Discusses the most recent advances in the field of biomechanical characterization of soft tissues, including different applications of tactile imaging and other pelvic floor assessment techniques, such as Electromyography (EMG) and Ultrasound Explores new diagnostic devices and techniques, mathematical models and simulations to address preoperative assessment and prediction of pelvic surgery outcomes and delivery Presents review of the results of multiple clinical studies with the biomechanical mapping of human tissues and organs to provide comprehensive information on the subject and determine the future directions in the field