International urogynecology journal
September 11, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Development and Preliminary Evaluation of the Pelvic Dysfunction Composite Score (PDCS): A Pilot Study in Women with Endometriosis.
Vinci D, Caniglia FM, Casolari C, Giordano F, Scalzone G, Torella M.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Researchers developed a preliminary composite score combining anorectal, pelvic floor symptom, and manometric measures for women with endometriosis-related pelvic floor dysfunction, which correlated with pain and sexual function, but it remains exploratory.
What was studied
A retrospective analysis of a pre-existing cohort of women treated medically or medical-surgically for endometriosis, developing the Pelvic Dysfunction Composite Score (PDCS) from three domains (subjective anorectal dysfunction via Wexner scores, pelvic floor symptoms via PFDI-20, and objective anorectal manometry), with preliminary validation against pain (EHP-30) and sexual function (FSFI).
Key findings
- 29 patients with clinically relevant pelvic dysfunction were assessed, with a median PDCS of 45.2 (interquartile range 33.3-60.6)
- There were no significant differences in PDCS between medical and medical-surgical treatment groups
- PDCS correlated very well with PFDI-20 scores, and moderately with the Wexner domain and manometric findings
- PDCS was significantly correlated with pain burden (EHP-30) and sexual function (FSFI)
Clinical relevance
The findings suggest a composite score integrating multiple pelvic floor measures could eventually help clinicians evaluate endometriosis-related pelvic dysfunction more comprehensively, but the authors state this is preliminary.
Who should care
Limitations
The authors explicitly describe the PDCS and its severity categories as exploratory, based on a small retrospective sample (29 patients), and state that validation in larger prospective cohorts is needed before clinical use.
A new composite pelvic dysfunction score shows promising correlations with pain and sexual function in endometriosis, but needs validation in larger studies before clinical use.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Introduction and hypothesis
Pelvic floor dysfunctions are common in women with endometriosis. Currently available assessment tools are limited to isolated domains that do not allow for a comprehensive multidimensional evaluation. This study aimed to develop and perform a preliminary validation of a multidimensional composite index for pelvic floor dysfunction based on both subjective and objective measures in women with endometriosis.
Methods
Data were retrospectively analyzed from a previously established cohort of patients who received either medical or medical-surgical treatment for endometriosis. The PDCS comprises three domains (each transformed to a 0-100 scale): subjective anorectal dysfunction (Wexner constipation and incontinence scores), pelvic floor symptoms (PFDI-20), and objective anorectal function (manometric parameters). The score was calculated as the mean of the available domains and stratified into mild (0-33), moderate (34-66), and severe (67-100) dysfunction. Internal structure assessment was based on principal component analysis and Spearman correlations. Clinical validation was assessed by correlating with pain (EHP-30) and sexual function (FSFI).
Results
Twenty-nine patients with clinically relevant pelvic dysfunction were assessed [median PDCS 45.2 (IQR 33.3-60.6)]. Patients with a PDCS value of 0 were excluded from the validation analyses. There were no significant differences between treatment groups. PDCS correlated very well with PFDI-20, and moderately with the Wexner domain and manometric findings. The PDCS was significantly correlated with pain burden and sexual function.
Conclusions
The PDCS is a preliminary, multidimensional composite index that integrates symptom burden and anorectal functional findings in women with endometriosis. In the clinical setting, the proposed severity categories should therefore be regarded as exploratory and require validation in larger prospective cohorts before translating the results into practice.
DOI
10.1007/s00192-026-06877-0
PMID
42726219
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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