Background: To our knowledge, there is scant research on the use of rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI) method for evaluating bladder base displacement in pregnant women. The RUSI is a non-invasive and simple method that assesses the function of pelvic floor muscles (PFM) based on the movement of the bladder base. Objectives: This study aims to assess the reliability of the RUSI for the assessment of PFM function in pregnant women during voluntary muscle contractions. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 18 pregnant women with different gestational ages participated. The amount of bladder base displacement during PFM contraction was assessed in all women and considered an indicator of PFM function. The test re-test reliability was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plot. The percentages of standard error of measurement (SEM%) and minimal detectable change (MDC%) were also calculated. Results: The mean amount of bladder base displacement during PFM contraction at time points 1 and 2 was 4.89±1.43 and 4.81±1.41, respectively. The ICC was 0.989 (95% CI, 0.969%, 0.996%), which indicates excellent reliability. The Bland-Altman plot showed that all the points were within the 95% limits of agreement with no considerable trend or bias. The SEM% and MDC% were 3.09% and 8.41%, respectively. Conclusion: The intra-rater reliability of the RUSI to assess PFM function in pregnant women is high, and can be useful for further studies on the PFMs in pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

المقال يركز على تقييم موثوقية طريقة التصوير بالموجات فوق الصوتية التأهيلية (RUSI) لتقييم وظيفة عضلات قاع الحوض (PFM) لدى النساء الحوامل. يبرز المقال أهمية عضلات قاع الحوض في دعم الأعضاء الحوضية ومنع سلس البول، خاصة خلال فترة الحمل وبعدها. أظهرت الدراسة، التي أجريت على نساء حوامل إيرانيات، أن طريقة RUSI أظهرت موثوقية عالية بين المقيمين (ICC=0.99) في قياس إزاحة قاعدة المثانة خلال انقباضات عضلات قاع الحوض الطوعية. يقترح المؤلفون أن RUSI يمكن أن تكون أداة قيمة للبحوث المستقبلية حول إدارة الاضطرابات النسائية البولية لدى النساء الحوامل، مع الإشارة أيضًا إلى بعض القيود مثل عدم وجود تقييم لموثوقية المقيمين المتعددين. [Extracted from the article]

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