Pelvic Floor Disorders — Cross-sectional Area of Pubovisceral Muscle in Nulliparous and Primiparous Women
Citation(s)
Carlson BM The Denervated Muscle: 45 years later. Neurol Res. 2008 Mar;30(2):119-22. doi: 10.1179/174313208X281127.
DeLancey JO, Sorensen HC, Lewicky-Gaupp C, Smith TM Comparison of the puborectal muscle on MRI in women with POP and levator ani defects with those with normal support and no defect. Int Urogynecol J. 2012 Jan;23(1):73-7. doi: 10.1007/s00192-011-1527-8. Epub 2011 Aug 6.
DeLancey JO The hidden epidemic of pelvic floor dysfunction: achievable goals for improved prevention and treatment. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 May;192(5):1488-95. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2005.02.028.
Masteling M, Ashton-Miller JA, DeLancey JOL Technique development and measurement of cross-sectional area of the pubovisceral muscle on MRI scans of living women. Int Urogynecol J. 2019 Aug;30(8):1305-1312. doi: 10.1007/s00192-018-3704-5. Epub 2018 Jul 5.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
