Abstract:Objective To evaluate the predictive capability of anorectal physiologic tests for pelvic outlet obstruction. Methods According to the patients' anatomical and functional defects, they were divided into three groups. The patients with posterior vaginal wall protrusion and difficult defecation were included in the group 1A, the patients with posterior vaginal wall protrusion without difficult defecation were included in the group 1B, the patients with anterior vaginal wall protrusion not accompanied by posterior vaginal wall protrusion were included in the group 2, the people without pelvic floor dysfunction were enrolled into the negative control group. Anorectal manometry and examination of pelvic muscle tension were performed to determine the internal connections and clinical significance of the predictors. Results During the study, 123 subjects met the entry criteria and 107 of them were eventually enrolled in the study. Compared with the control group, anal resting pressure, anal squeezing pressure and the maximal pelvic floor tension decreased in the group 1 and the group 2. The rectal straining pressure in the group 1 was lower than that in the group 2 but the anal straining pressure was higher than that in the group 2. Rectal straining pressure in the group 1A was lower than that in the group 1B (P < 0.05), but anal straining pressure in the group 1A was higher than that in group 1B (P < 0.05). Rectal straining pressure/maximum pelvic floor muscle tension was lower in the group 1A than in the group 1B. Conclusions Anorectal manometry combined with the examination of pelvic muscle tension can be an auxiliary method for diagnosis of posterior pelvic dysfunction. Defecation difficulties caused by pelvic floor organ prolapse usually have the manifestations of decreased rectal straining pressure, increased anal straining pressure, and decrease of rectal straining pressure/pelvic muscle straining tension.