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Development of Analysis Tools to Enhance Magnetomyographic Assessment of Pelvic Floor Muscles

Award Number: R01EB031589
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE Of BIOMEDICAL IMAGING & BIOENGINEERING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/15/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2026

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Development of Analysis Tools to Enhance Magnetomyographic Assessment of Pelvic Floor Muscles - Project Summary/Abstract During pregnancy and delivery women experience pelvic soft tissue injury. This injury is associated with the development of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) including pelvic organ prolapse, urinary, and fecal incontinence. One of the biggest barriers to preventing birth injury and the subsequent sequelae of PFDs is our lack of understanding of when and how injury occurs. Simulation models suggest that term delivery requires stretch to the maternal pelvic floor musculature to a degree greater than that which skeletal muscle can normally undergo without sustaining injury. Thus, with term vaginal birth, near universal injury would be expected. Previous studies have used anatomic and functional methodology to explore this neuromuscular injury, but we continue to lack a complete understanding of maternal pelvic floor injury and recovery patterns. We also possess limited knowledge of the changes which maternal soft tissues undergo during pregnancy, presumably to facilitate atraumatic birth. Our institution houses the SQUID Array for Reproductive Assessment (SARA) system, a novel and noninvasive tool to assess biomagnetic signals such as those created by depolarization occurring with muscle contraction. We propose to adapt SARA system to record the biomagnetic signals generated by the levator ani muscles (LAMs) of the maternal pelvic floor and apply advanced signal processing techniques to extract and characterize the LAM electrophysiology. These magnetomyographic (MMG) recordings will be used to study maternal pelvic floor neuromuscular function before and after delivery. Our project will be the first to comprehensively use MMG technology to assess the maternal LAMs. We will combine clinical, anatomic, and physiologic endpoints to improve our knowledge of maternal pelvic muscular adaptations and injury recovery patterns using a comprehensive protocol with which we have demonstrated promising preliminary data in small cohorts of nulligravidas and nulliparous gravidas. This proposal is in response to NIBIB’s PAR-19-158 Bioengineering Research Grants, where we apply a multidisciplinary integrative team approach to address the paucity of knowledge regarding maternal muscular adaptations and maternal LAM injury thus provide a framework for future innovation in injury prevention and recovery research. Our overall hypothesis is that MMG will allow detection of maternal LAMs adaptation during pregnancy and identification of injury and recovery patterns postpartum. Aim 1: To adapt biomagnetic technology based system to record high spatial temporal MMG LAM complex and apply advanced signal processing methods to extract relevant pelvic floor muscle parameters. Aim 2: To track and characterize changes in levator MMG signals with parturition comparing 3rd trimester pregnancy to early and late postpartum. Aim 3: To correlate MMG patterns of LAM birth injury and recovery and associate MMG evidence of injury with PFD symtpoms and injury visible by transperineal US.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2025	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES	4301 W MARKHAM ST	LITTLE ROCK	AR	72205	PULASKI	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	4	4/2/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2025	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES	4301 W MARKHAM ST	LITTLE ROCK	AR	72205	PULASKI	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	001	4	8/27/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $335,160 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES	4301 W MARKHAM ST	LITTLE ROCK	AR	72205	PULASKI	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	4	5/8/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$335,160
														Subtotal = $335,160

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $342,000 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES	4301 W MARKHAM ST	LITTLE ROCK	AR	72205	PULASKI	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	3	3/30/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$342,000
														Subtotal = $342,000

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $342,000 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS SYSTEM	4301 W MARKHAM ST SLOT 812 BIO-MED BLDG 1 STE 102	LITTLE ROCK	AR	72205	PULASKI	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	2	5/23/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$342,000
														Subtotal = $342,000

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $342,000 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS SYSTEM	4301 W MARKHAM ST SLOT 812 BIO-MED BLDG 1 STE 102	LITTLE ROCK	AR	72205	PULASKI	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	1	7/2/2021	NEW	$342,000
														Subtotal = $342,000

Grand Total All Awards = $1,361,160

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Development of Analysis Tools to Enhance Magnetomyographic Assessment of Pelvic Floor Muscles

Award Number: R01EB031589

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE Of BIOMEDICAL IMAGING & BIOENGINEERING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/15/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2026

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