These clinics offer a specialist pelvic floor assessment service, including endo-anal ultrasound, anorectal physiology, proctography and transit studies. Seven Pelvic Floor Society accredited clinics across the UK can be found on our interactive MASIC map.
They also offer advice and treatment for:
- bowel dysfunction, including biofeedback
- faecal incontinence
- irritable bowel syndrome
- constipation.
Effective treatment for complex pelvic floor disorders requires combined care from a multidisciplinary team (MDT) of surgeons, nurses, radiologists and physiotherapists.
At the Pelvic Floor MDT there is open discussion between everyone in the team and results are reviewed. This helps to provide ‘joined-up care’, giving patients the best possible chance of recovery.
When your doctor refers you to the pelvic floor clinic, you will first see a surgeon. The surgeon will ask questions relating to your symptoms to try to establish their underlying cause and will examine you. It is very likely that they will then refer you to other team members for investigation.
The next stage will vary according to your symptoms, but many patients will have a defaecating proctogram and transit study performed in the X-ray department by radiographers, with the results analysed by radiologists.
You may also have anorectal physiology and ultrasound, which is undertaken by nurse specialists and physiologists.
The team will often see if they can improve your symptoms with simple measures such as dietary changes, laxatives and pelvic floor exercises or pelvic floor retraining. Many people find that their symptoms are completely resolved by such measures. Much of this advice and help will come from specialist nurses.
A small number of people will be suitable for surgery for their symptoms, and they will receive counselling as to the advantages and disadvantages of surgery by their surgeon in clinic before being added to a waiting list.
