{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:06:09Z","timestamp":1760144769999,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,16]],"date-time":"2024-05-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1715817600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: This study aims to compare the neuromuscular structure of the vagina in women with posterior vaginal wall prolapse with the neuromuscular structure of the vagina in women without prolapse, to determine the difference, and to demonstrate the role of neuromuscular structure in the physiopathology of prolapse. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, women aged between 40 and 75 years who had not undergone any vaginal surgery and had not undergone any abdominal prolapse surgery were included. Thirty-one women diagnosed with rectocele on examination were included in the study group. Thirty-one patients who underwent vaginal intervention and hysterectomy for reasons other than rectocele (colposcopy, conization, etc.) without anterior or posterior wall prolapse were included in the control group. Biopsy material was obtained from the epithelium of the posterior wall of the vagina, including the fascia that fits the Ap point. Immunohistochemical staining with Protein Gene Product 9.5 and smooth muscle \u03b1-actin was performed in the pathology laboratory. The epithelial thickness measurement and smooth muscle density parameters obtained with these immunohistochemical stainings were compared between the two groups. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 23 package program. p values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: In the control group, muscle thickness and the number of nerves per mm2 of fascia were statistically significantly higher than in the study group (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: We found that smooth muscle tissue and the number of nerves per mm2 of fascia were decreased in posterior vaginal wall prolapse compared to the general population. Based on the correlation coefficients, age was the parameter that most affected the degree of prolapse, followed by parity, number of live births, and number of vaginal deliveries.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina60050816","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,16]],"date-time":"2024-05-16T03:24:48Z","timestamp":1715829888000},"page":"816","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Evaluation of Neuromuscular Morphometry of the Vaginal Wall Using Protein Gene Product 9.5 (Pgp 9.5) and Smooth Muscle \u03b1-Actin (Sma) in Patients with Posterior Vaginal Wall Prolapse"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"60","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2813-2163","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mustafa","family":"\u00c7etin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ordu Training and Research Hospital, 52200 Ordu, Turkey"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"G\u00fcven","family":"G\u00fcney","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Hitit \u00dcniversitesi, 19030 \u00c7orum Merkez, Turkey"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1939-3743","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u00d6zer","family":"Birge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetric and Gynecology, Maternite de I\u2019Amitie Turqui-Niger Hospital, Niamey 920271, Niger"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Emine","family":"Arslan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Hitit \u00dcniversitesi, 19030 \u00c7orum Merkez, Turkey"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Burcu","family":"Timur","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ordu Training and Research Hospital, 52200 Ordu, Turkey"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hakan","family":"Timur","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ordu University, 52200 Ordu, Turkey"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"441.e1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajog.2010.12.024","article-title":"Body image perceptions in women with pelvic organ prolapse: A qualitative study","volume":"204","author":"Lowder","year":"2011","journal-title":"Am. 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