Simple test of pelvic muscle contraction during pelvic examination: Correlation to surface electromyography

The objective of this work was to evaluate the utility of a "Kegel" contrac tion test in a primary care setting. Fifty-seven adult women completed a qu estionnaire, underwent pelvic examination, "Kegel" assessment, and measurem ent of same by vaginal sensor electromyography. Thirty-seven underwent repe at evaluations within 4 weeks. Inter- and intra-rater reliability of digita l scale, intra-rater reliability for sEMG measurement, correlation between raters and sEMG, and correlation between scale scores and sEMG with history and pelvic exam were determined. Fifty-six percent were pre-menopausal, 44 % post-menopausal. Urinary (62%) and rectal (37%) dysfunction were reported . Inter-rater reliability, intra-observer reproducibility for both raters a nd sEMG measurements, and correlation between raters and sEMG were signific ant (P < 0.05). Comparison of continence status and digital scores showed s cores less than or equal to 4 were more frequently associated with reported urinary incontinence (P < 0.05). sEMG data also correlated to hormonal sta tus and parity (P < 0.05). This digital scale is a useful assessment of "Ke gel" contraction, correlating well to sEMG vaginal sensor readings and self -reported overall urinary continence status. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss,Inc.