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Revolutionizing Episiotomy Practice for Safer Childbirth

by Dr. Navapriya S on Jan 31 2025 11:24 AM
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Episiotomies create high stress at the incision tip, increasing the risk of further tearing. Researchers are studying ways to make childbirth safer.

Revolutionizing Episiotomy Practice for Safer Childbirth
During childbirth, millions of women have episiotomies each year, yet little is known about the mechanics underlying these surgical incisions. A new study that addresses this important disparity in women's health is set to close that gap.
Cutting the pelvic-floor muscles to facilitate delivery is known as an episiotomy, and it is currently primarily performed based on the experience and personal judgment of the surgeon.

Even though the treatment is meant to avoid serious vaginal rips or other delivery-related issues, it can cause long-term pain, incontinence, infection, and sexual dysfunction(1 Trusted Source
Women's pelvic tissue tears during childbirth unstudied, until now

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).

Advancing Episiotomy Safety Through Biomechanics

By integrating advanced experimental techniques with predictive computational simulations, the study offers a comprehensive approach to understanding childbirth mechanics and how different techniques affect the way an incision spreads.

The softening and stretching of pelvic-floor muscles makes them particularly vulnerable to tearing and it is important to understand how incisions made during episiotomies spread. The findings could pave the way for safer, more effective surgical practices that alleviate suffering for countless women.

Eskandari’s bMECH lab is renowned for developing innovative techniques to solve complex and underexplored biomechanics problems. Her prior research includes using uniquely designed apparatuses and a cutting-edge imaging system—one of only two in Southern California—to study lung tissue and other soft biological materials.

Stress and Risk of Episiotomy Incision

“This work is an exciting new way of studying tearing during childbirth,” Feigenbaum said. “Episiotomies create very large stresses at the tip of the incision, making tears starting from there possible, potentially even likely.

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By understanding when and how the incision will grow, this research has the potential to make deliveries safer and less traumatic for mothers.”

The stresses and tears associated with episiotomies are poorly understood. Human cadaveric testing is not possible, so the researchers are using related rat models to produce critical biomechanical data. The research team hopes its work will result in better guidance for surgeons, improving surgical outcomes and reducing the physical toll on mothers.

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“In addition to informing clinical practice, this work could also challenge longstanding assumptions in biomechanics,” Eskandari said. “For example, we’re investigating how the nonlinear, finite strain and viscoelastic properties of pelvic tissues impact the likelihood of tearing—something not traditionally considered in surgical planning.”

Reference:
  1. Women’s pelvic tissue tears during childbirth unstudied, until now- (https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/01/29/womens-pelvic-tissue-tears-during-childbirth-unstudied-until-now)


Source-Eurekalert


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