TW201811259A - Female pelvic organ prolapse quantification measuring tool - Google Patents

Abstract

A measuring device, especially a measuring device for female pelvic organ prolapse quantification, includes a handle portion and a main measuring stem. The main measuring stem includes a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the first end connects the handle portion, and the second end bends outwardly away from an extension direction of the main measuring stem. The main measuring stem includes a scale region having a scale labeled on an outer surface of the main measuring stem, and the scale includes a scale line for dividing the main measuring stem into a plurality of segments and a scale value for indicating different lengths.

Description

   Female pelvic floor organ prolapse measurer   

The invention relates to a measuring device, in particular to a female pelvic floor organ prolapse degree measuring device.

With increasing age, women have a higher probability of pelvic floor organ prolapse (POP). About half of the population of women over the age of fifty is affected by POPs, and the prevalence of POPs throughout their lifetime is about 30% to 50%. More literature points out that after total hysterectomy, different degrees of POP often occur, including vaginal vault prolapse, bladder prolapse and other problems, and the incidence rate can reach up to 40%.

For the evaluation of the severity of pelvic floor organ prolapse, the POP-Q (Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification) evaluation system published by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1996 is currently used worldwide. However, there is currently no standard measuring device for pelvic floor organ prolapse in the market. Therefore, gynecologists in most medical clinics choose to give up the measurement, and some gynecologists directly use medical supplies that are readily available, such as cotton Stick or tongue depressor, etc., after scoring on the scale by yourself, and then measuring the POP-Q of pelvic floor organ prolapse, that is, measuring the position of each point of POP-Q.

Measuring devices and measuring methods based on the above descriptions often have shortcomings such as insufficient length, low accuracy, poor stability, and inconvenient and inconvenient operation, and the measuring devices are difficult to clean and disinfect after use. Most of them are direct Being discarded and destroyed is not only environmentally friendly but also has no economic benefits. Therefore, how to provide a measuring instrument product that can solve the above problems is an important issue.

The content of the present invention is to provide a female pelvic floor organ prolapse measuring device with appropriate length, stable scale, high accuracy, convenient operation, easy cleaning and environmental protection.

The female pelvic floor organ prolapse measuring device provided according to the present invention comprises a hand-held part and a main measuring trunk. The first end of the main measuring stem is connected to the hand-held part, and the second end of the main measuring stem is bent outwardly away from the extending direction of the main measuring stem. The main measuring stem includes a graduated area marked on the outer surface of the main measuring stem. This graduated area can be set along the main measuring stem from the second end of the main measuring stem and used as a reference reference point for measurement, and This scale may include tick marks that define a plurality of sections formed on the outer surface of the main measurement stem.

1. 2‧‧‧ female prolapse degree measuring device for pelvic floor organs

10, 20‧‧‧ Handheld

12, 22‧‧‧ main survey trunk

14, 24‧‧‧ pointed round head

16, 26‧‧‧ scale

16A‧‧‧Dent

28‧‧‧Sampling Department

30‧‧‧ wipe brush

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a female pelvic floor organ prolapse measuring device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of a main measuring trunk having a square shape; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a main measuring trunk Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of partial enlargement; Figure 4 shows a schematic view of a single linear grip of the handheld part; Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of measuring the positions of POP-Q points by operating the measuring device of the present invention; Figure 6 is taken from The POP-Q scale standard measurement table published by the American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1996); Figure 7 shows the degree of prolapse of a female pelvic floor organ according to Example 2 of the present invention. A schematic diagram of the measuring device; and FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of the measuring device 2 in operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The female pelvic floor organ prolapse (Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification, POP-Q) measuring device disclosed in the present invention includes a handheld part and a main measuring trunk. The first end of the main measuring stem is connected to the hand-held part, and the second end of the main measuring stem is bent outwardly away from the extending direction of the main measuring stem. The main measuring stem includes a graduated area marked with a scale on the outer surface of the main measuring stem. The initial mark of the graduated area can be located at the second end of the main measuring stem as a reference point for measurement, and the scale can be With tick marks, it defines multiple equal-length sections formed on the outer surface of the main measuring trunk. In one embodiment, the female pelvic floor organ prolapse measuring device may further include a sampling portion, which may be used for cervical smear examination. The following will be exemplified by different implementation modes and diagrams.

    Example 1    

Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a schematic diagram of a female pelvic floor organ prolapse measuring device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The measuring device 1 includes a hand-held section 10 and a main measuring trunk 12. One end of the main measuring stem 12 is connected to the hand-held portion 10, and the other end of the main measuring stem 12 is slightly bent outwardly to deviate from the extending direction of the main measuring stem 12 to form a pointed round head 14. A graduated area 16 is provided on the outer surface of the main measuring stem 12. This graduated area 16 is located along the main measuring stem 12 at an end of the autonomous measuring stem 12 away from the handheld part 10. The initial marking of the graduated area 16 is located in a pointed circle. The vertex position of the head 14 is used as a reference point for measurement. The blunt design of the pointed round head 14 can reduce the discomfort during measurement and increase the accuracy during measurement. The scale area 16 may have a plurality of scale points, for example, 10 to 20. One of the scale points is set at a distance of 3 cm from the pointed round head 14, and the scale point is designed to be distinguishable from other scale points. In other words, the scale point can be designed to have a color different from other scale points. The scale area 16 may further include a scale line for forming a plurality of sections on the outer surface of the main measuring stem 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the scale area 16 may have a plurality of scale lines, which are arranged in a spaced manner with a plurality of scale points to divide the main measurement shaft 12 into a plurality of equal-length sections.

As long as it is easy for the user to hold, the hand-held portion can be of any shape or structure. As shown in FIG. 1, the hand-held portion 10 may be a hollow grip, and the user operates the measuring device 1 by holding the grip during measurement, so as to avoid directly contacting the main measuring stem 12 or the person being measured during measurement, To avoid infections that may occur when the user comes in contact with the person being measured.

The length of the main measuring trunk 12 may be about 15 cm to 30 cm. The length of the scale area 16 may be about 8 cm to 16 cm, and the distance between the scale point and the scale point may be 1 cm or other larger or smaller unit interval sizes, such as 0.5 cm or 1.5 cm. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the main measurement trunk 12 may be selected from a circle, an oval, a triangle, a square, a rectangle, and / or a polygon.

Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a schematic diagram showing the cross section of the main measuring trunk 12 as a square. The side length L of the cross-section square of the main measuring trunk 12 may be about 0.2 cm to 0.8 cm, for example, about 0.4 cm to 0.6 cm. In this embodiment, the side length L of the square cross section may be 0.5 cm.

The scales in the scale area 16 are provided in the form of protrusions or dents on the outer surface of the main measuring stem 12. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the scales in the scale area 16 are arranged in the form of indentations 16A on two corners with square cross-sections. This way, the user does not need to worry about whether there is up and down during operation. The upside-down suspicion can clearly read the scale value even when the measuring device 1 is held horizontally for operation.

Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the main measurement trunk 12. The scale of the main measuring stem 12 may include a scale line, a scale point, and a scale value of a display length. The scale line divides the main measuring stem 12 into a plurality of equal-length sections, which is convenient for observing the measured value when operating the measuring instrument. The length of these sections can be about 1 cm to 5 cm. In this embodiment, the scale lines and the scale points are arranged at intervals. Each scale point is 1 cm away from the adjacent scale line, that is, the scale line divides the main measurement stem 12 into a plurality of lengths of 2 cm. Section.

In an embodiment, the handheld part 10 and the main measuring stem 12 may be a one-piece structure, and the material may be selected from metal (such as brass or stainless steel), plastic (such as acrylic, plastic or rubber), and / or glass. . If metal or glass is selected, the measuring device 1 can be cleaned and disinfected at high temperature to facilitate repeated use.

The hand-held part 10 can be a symmetrical structure. As shown in FIG. 1, the grip formed by the hand-held part 10 has a symmetry axis that is consistent with the extending direction of the main measuring stem 12. In the position, the unstable operation due to the different shapes of the upper and lower parts of the handheld unit 10 will not be affected, which will affect the accuracy of the measurement. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the handheld portion 10 is a single linear grip, which does not affect the stability and convenience of operation.

Please refer to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of measuring POP-Q points by operating the measuring device 1. Figure 6 is taken from the 1996 American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1996). POP-Q indexing standard measurement table. As shown in Figure 6, Aa, Ba, and C are three reference points on the anterior vaginal wall, and Ap, Bp, and D are three reference points on the posterior vaginal wall; on the front wall side, point C is the apex of the vagina ( or the cervix (c ervix) closest to the position of the side of the vagina), and the rear wall side is the apex point D rectouterine recess (D ouglas pouch), Aa and Ap point 3 cm from the hymen ring, respectively, to the front wall and the rear The position of the wall; the Ba point is defined as the lowest point of prolapse between the point Aa and the vaginal vertex C, and the Bp point is defined as the lowest point of the prolapse between the Ap point and the posterior vertex D of the vagina. Further, tvl vaginal full length (t otal v aginal l ength) , genital hiatus gh (g ential h iatus) is the distance to the rear side of the middle urethra hymen ring, pb was gh rear genital hiatus to perineal anus of (p erineal b ody) width.

As shown in FIG. 5, point H hymen ring (h ymenal ring) position, the respective measuring points based in a reference point H, the distance measurement points of the H-point, to determine whether there pelvic organ prolapse bottom And the degree of prolapse. According to the POP-Q division standard published by the American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology, when Aa, Ap, Ba, and Bp are all -3 (cm), it means that there is no prolapse.

For example, when checking point Aa, first find the point 3 cm away from the hymen ring position H point, and then let the measuring device 1 slightly leave to let the vagina sag naturally; after the vagina sags naturally, look at the point measured from the hymen ring It is a few centimeters and recorded. In normal circumstances, the distance between point Aa and point H is -3 (cm). If it is -2 (cm) or 0, it means that there is prolapse. The larger the number, the more serious the prolapse situation.

At the same time, taking the measurement of the distance between the Ba point and the Bp point as an example, as shown in Fig. 5, based on the design of the pointed round head 14, after the main measurement shaft 12 is placed in the vagina, it is easy to locate on the inner wall of the vagina. After measuring the Ba point on the anterior wall of the vagina, you can measure the Bp point on the posterior wall of the vagina only by rotating the main measuring shaft 12 180 degrees. It is not necessary to take out the main measuring shaft 12 and place it in the vaginal measurement. Increase convenience and reduce discomfort for the person being measured.

    Example 2    

Please refer to FIG. 7, which is a schematic diagram of a female pelvic floor organ prolapse measuring device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The measuring device 2 includes a hand-held part 20 and a main measuring stem 22, wherein the structure of the main measuring stem 22 can refer to the main measuring stem 12 (see FIG. 1) of Embodiment 1, and has a similar pointed round head 24 and a scale area 26. And the design of the cross section.

The hand-held portion 20 in this embodiment may be a sheet-like body, such as a thin-film structure.

The measuring device 2 further includes a sampling portion 28, one end of which is connected to the hand-held portion 20, and the other end includes a wiper brush 30 for cervical smear examination. The sampling section 28 is on the same extension axis as the main measurement trunk 22. The sampling section 28, the main measurement trunk 22, and the hand-held section 20 can be integrally formed and made of the same material.

In another embodiment, the sampling portion 28 is detachably combined with the handheld portion 20, and the material may be the same or different. For example, the sampling portion 28 is made of plastic, and the main measurement stem 22 and the handheld portion The material of 20 is metal. After the Pap smear is completed, the sampling section 28 can be removed, and the measuring device 2 can be reused after being sterilized.

During operation, please refer to Figure 8. When the degree of pelvic floor organ prolapse is to be measured, the main measurement stem 22 faces outward and the hand-held part 20 can be used for measurement; when a cervical smear is to be performed, Then, the sampling portion 28 can be directed outward, and the main measurement stem 22 is held to perform sampling with the wiper brush 30.

The top of the female pelvic floor organ prolapse measurer disclosed by the present invention has a blunt protrusion index design, so that the outermost endpoint is the measurement starting point, and the scale is clear and easy to judge, making the measurement of each point of POP-Q more accurate . In addition, the measuring device can be made of metal such as brass or glass to facilitate reuse. The main measurement of the measuring device is marked with a scale on the symmetrical position of the cross-section, which makes reading more convenient. With the symmetrical grip design, you can measure each of the anterior and posterior walls of the vagina only by rotating it 180 degrees. Points to reduce the discomfort of the person being measured. The measuring device can be integrated, and there is no other redundant or uneven design besides the necessary scale, which makes disinfection and cleaning easier and not easy to hide dirt.

The invention makes the evaluation of the severity of female pelvic floor organ prolapse more accurate, easy and convenient, and enables the obstetrician and gynecologist to change from a person who might abandon the measurement to a professional one. It is also because a more accurate assessment can propose a more correct treatment to improve the patient's prognosis, making the results of POP-Q measurement more trustworthy, and it can also have a certain impact on academic research related to female pelvic floor organ prolapse . In this way, a better tool on the market can also be provided for measurement, so that the clinical gynecologist and obstetrician can accurately measure and evaluate the degree of pelvic floor organ prolapse.

The present invention has been disclosed using preferred exemplary embodiments. However, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed. Instead, it intends to cover multiple modifications and similar reorganizations. The scope of the patent application scope should be the broadest definition to cover all such modifications and similar configurations.

Claims (20)

    A female pelvic floor organ prolapse degree measuring device, comprising: a handheld portion; and a main measuring stem having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, wherein the first end is connected to the handheld portion, and The second end is bent outwardly in a direction deviating from an extension of the main measuring stem, and the main measuring stem includes a scale region marked on a surface outside the main measuring stem.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the scale area is set along the main measuring stem from the second end of the main measuring stem.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the scale is provided on the outer surface of the main measuring stem in the form of a protrusion or a dent.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the scale includes a scale line and defines a plurality of sections formed on the outer surface of the main measuring stem.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the scale includes a scale point set about 3 cm away from the second end of the main measuring trunk.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, further comprising: a sampling section connected to the hand-held section.         The measuring device according to item 6 of the patent application scope, wherein the sampling portion includes a wiper brush.         The measuring device according to item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the sampling section is on the same extension axis as the main measurement stem.         The measuring device according to item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the sampling section, the main measuring trunk and the hand-held section are integrally formed.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the handheld part and the main measuring trunk are integrally formed.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the material of the hand-held part and the main measuring stem is at least one of metal, plastic and glass.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the hand-held part is a symmetrical structure and has at least one axis of symmetry consistent with the extending direction of the main measuring stem.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the hand-held portion comprises a hollow grip.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the hand-held portion comprises a sheet-shaped body.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the main measuring stem is circular, oval, triangular, square, rectangular, or polygonal.         The measuring device according to item 15 of the scope of patent application, wherein a cross section of the main measuring stem is a square, and a side length thereof is about 0.2 cm to 0.8 cm.         The measuring device according to item 16 of the scope of patent application, wherein the square side length of the cross section is about 0.4 cm to 0.6 cm.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the length of the main measuring trunk is about 15 cm to 30 cm.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the length of the scale area is about 8 cm to 16 cm.         The measuring device according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the second end of the main measuring stem is a pointed round head.