The Pelvic Floor

Question 1

What are some of the muscles that help make up walls of the pelvic cavity?

Answer 1

The obturator internus and the piriformis muscles

Question 2

What is the pelvic floor?

Answer 2

A funnel shaped musculature structure, that attaches t the walls of the lesser pelvis separating the pelvic cavity from the perineum

Question 3

What is the urogenital hiatus?

Answer 3

An anteriorly situated gap which allows for passage of the urethra and the vagina in females

Question 4

What is the rectal hiatus?

Answer 4

A centrally positioned gap which allows the passage of the anal canal

Question 5

What is found between the urogenital hiatus and the anal canal?

Answer 5

The perineal body

Question 6

What are the functions of the pelvic floor muscles?

Answer 6

The support f the abdominal pelvic vsicera through their tonic contraction, and resistance to increase in intra- pelvic or abdominal pressure during activities such as coughing or lifting heavy objects, and urianry and fecal continence as the muscle fibres have a spincther action on the rectum and urethra, and they relax to allow urination and delectation

Question 7

What are the main groups of fascia that are involved in the pelvic floor?

Answer 7

The levator ani muscles adn the coccygeus muscles

Question 8

What are the levator ani muscles from inner to outer?

Answer 8

The puborectalis, the pubococcygeus and the illioccoygeus

Question 9

What is the main nerve that innervates the levator ani muscles?

Answer 9

The puedenal nerve, S2-4

Question 10

What are some of the key features of the puborectalis muscle?

Answer 10

Is a U shaped sling, and has a main function to maintain fecal continence and during defectation the muscle relaxes

Question 11

What are the main features of the pubococcygeus?

Answer 11

Is the main consituent of the levator ani, and has some fibres that divide and loop around the prostate in males(levator prostate) and around the vagina in females (pubovaginalis), and some fibres also terminate in the perineal body

Question 12

What are some of the main features of the illiococcygeus/

Answer 12

Has thin muscle fibres that start anteriorly at the ischial spines and the posteior aspect of the tenidinous arch

Question 13

What innervates the coccygeus?

Answer 13

The anterior rami of S4 and S5

Question 14

What are some of the features of the coccygeus?

Answer 14

The smallest and most posterior of the pelvic floor componet/

Question 15

Which of the levator ani muscles are most at risk during the second part of childbirth?

Answer 15

The puborectalis and the pubococcygeus

Question 16

What nerve is at risk during the second phase of childbirth?

Answer 16

The puedenal nerve, which can be streched

Question 17

What problems can be caused by injury to the pelvic floor muscles?

Answer 17

Urinary stress incontiance and rectal incontinance

Question 18

When can prolaspe of the pelvic viscera occur?

Answer 18

If there is trauma to the pelvic floor or if the muscle fibres have poor tone,

Question 19

When can prolaspe of the vagina occur?

Answer 19

Is there is damage to the perineal body during childbirth

Question 20

What is a episiotomy?

Answer 20

A surgical cut in the perineum

Question 21

What can happen if the medial fibres of the puborectalis are torn>

Answer 21

Rectal herniation can occur as the anal spincther is disrupted

Question 22

Which is the safest direction to do an episomty?

Answer 22

Mediolateral

Question 23

What is the perineum?

Answer 23

The most inferior part of the pelvic outlated, located between the thighs and is seperated from the pelvic cavity superiorly by the pelvic floor

Question 24

What are the contents of the perineum?

Answer 24

The anterior urogenital and the posterior anal triangles

Question 25

What is the anal triangle?

Answer 25

The posterior part of the perineum, nd contant the anal appeture the external anal sphinter muscle and two ishioanal fossae

Question 26

What is the urogenital triangle?

Answer 26

The anterior half of the perineum,

Question 27

What is the deep perineal puch?

Answer 27

A ponteital space between the pelvic floor superioly and the perineal membrane inferiroly, and contains part of the urethra and the external urethral spincther

Question 28

What is the perineal membrane?

Answer 28

A layer of touch fascia which is perforated by the urethra and the vagina,, and is to provide attachment for the muscels of the superifical external geneitalia

Question 29

What is the superifical perineal pouch?

Answer 29

A potential space between the perineal membrane superiorly and the perinela fascia inferiorly, and contains that erectile tissues that fomr the penis and the clitoris, and three muscles, the ischicavernous, the bulbospongisu and the superifical tranverse perineal muscles

Question 30

What is the deep perineal fascia?

Answer 30

The fascia covering the superifical perineal muscles

Question 31

What is the superifical perineal fascia?

Answer 31

Continous with the superifical fascia of the abdominal wall/

Question 32

What is the perineal body?

Answer 32

A irregualr and fibromusculr mass, that is located at the junction of the urogenital and anal trianges, and functions as a point of attachment for muscle fibres

Question 33

Which muscle fibres attach to the perineal body?

Answer 33

The levator ani, the bulbospongius muscle, the superifical and deep tranverse perineal muscles and the external anal spincther and the external urethral spintcher