[Overactive pelvic floor syndrome].

BACKGROUND

The etiology of the overactive pelvic floor syndrome is not fully understood and no gold standards are available for diagnosis or treatment. The article presents an overview of literature, and discusses diagnostics and treatment.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Literature was identified through a non-systematic search in PubMed, and discussed in light of the authors' clinical experience with the patient group.

RESULTS

The main symptoms of overactive pelvic floor syndrome are pain and defecation difficulties; the latter often leads to chronic constipation. Other symptoms depend on which parts of the pelvic floor that are most affected. Pain is often chronic and ranges from mild to severe; it is aggravated by micturition, sexual intercourse, orgasm, defecation and sitting on hard surfaces, and reduces the ability to work and quality of life in general. Injection of Botulinum toxin in the pelvic floor muscles seems to alleviate pain in many patients. Physiotherapy of the pelvic floor and treatment offered by pain clinics can also be useful.

INTERPRETATION: A close cooperation between gastroenterologists, surgeons, urologists, gynecologists, neurologists, physiotherapists and possibly pain clinics is important to improve the situation for these patients.