Levator Hiatal Dimensions and Mode of Delivery

The women will be enrolled and examined at the 12-week routine ultrasound examination after informed consent and examined again at the 18 weeks gestation examination. The women will be examined in the supine position on a bed with knees and hips semi-flexed and abducted. Bladder and bowel should be emptied prior to the examination. They will be instructed in how to perform pelvic floor contraction and maximal Valsalva maneuver. First, a 2D scan will be performed of one experienced clinician. The average of 3 2D levator hiatal anteroposterior measurements will be stored. Then, a 3D/4D ultrasound examination of the pelvic floor will be performed using a Voluson S10, E8 or E10 (GE healthcare, Zipf, Austria) device with a RAB 4-8 MHz curved array transducer with the acquisition angle set at 85 degrees. Offline analysis of the ultrasound volumes will be performed using the 4D view (GE Healthcare, Austria) software, blinded to all clinical data. Hiatal anteroposterior diameter will be measured in both 2D and 3D. Hiatal area and hiatal transverse diameter will be measured in the 3D volume. These measures have previously been demonstrated to have high interrater and intrarater reliability in women in this study population. Details regarding maternal height, weight, age, ethnicity, marital status, employment, induction of labour, duration of active 2nd stage of labour, gestational length, use of epidural analgesia, indication for operative delivery (slow progress or fetal distress), mode of delivery (forceps, vacuum, cesarean section), infant birthweight, head circumference, Presentation (occiput anterior/ posterior), head station at intervention, infant gender, Apgar score, perineal trauma, postpartum hemorrhage, will be collected from electronic patient journals after delivery. The women will be informed that they may be contacted within 2 years after delivery for a follow up, but separate consent will be needed. Participants will have a unique study number and the coupling list will be stored on a safe area at St. Olav's server.