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Die Stressharnkontinenz wird durch die morphofunktionelle Einheit von Urethra, M. levator ani und der Fascia endopelvina gewährleistet, der Begriff "Stressharnkontinenz-Kontrollsystem" verkörpert diese Komplexität. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde die Morphologie des Stressharnkontinenz-Kontrollsystems kontinenter Nulliparae kernspintomographisch untersucht, um den Normalbefund zu definieren. Auf Grundlage dieser Untersuchungsergebnisse wurden Frauen mit Stressharninkontinenz (HI) kernspintomographisch untersucht, um eine Nomenklatur der MRT-Pathomorphologie des Stressharnkontinenz-Kontrollsystems bei Stressharninkontinenz vorzuschlagen. Bei den kontinenten Nulliparae (n = 20) zeigte die MRT-Morphometrie von Urethra, M. levator ani und Fascia endopelvina erhebliche anatomische Normvarianten (z.B. Urethraquerschnittsfläche von 1,7 ( 0,4 cm², Ratio 2,4; Volumen des M. levator ani 33,1 ( 8,1 cm³, Ratio 2,5), die in der "Ratio" (Vielfaches des größten zum kleinsten Messwert) zum Ausdruck kommen, eine Definition des "Normalwertes" noch nicht zulassen und ein konstitutionelles Risiko für die Entstehung einer Funktionsstörung des Stressharnkontinenz-Kontrollsystems vermuten lassen. Aufgrund der morphometrischen Normvarianten des Stressharnkontinenz-Kontrollsystems kontinenter Nulliparae wurden bei den Frauen mit HI (n = 54) die MRT-Befunde von Urethra, M. levator ani und Fascia endopelvina nach qualitativen Kriterien bewertet. Eine in der PD-gewichteten Aufnahme erhöhte Signalintensität der quergestreiften Muskulatur wurde pathologisch gewertet und ist durch biochemische bzw. morphologische Veränderungen der Muskulatur (Atrophie, vermehrte Fett-, Wasser- oder Laktateinlagerung) bedingt. Der Vergleich beider Studienkollektive zeigte diese HI-typische Veränderung am M. sphincter urethrae externus und M. levator ani (0 % bei Nulliparae vs. 50 % bzw. 28 % bei Frauen mit HI). Ein dorsaler Substanzverlust des M. sphincter urethrae externus (0 % bei Nulliparae vs. 37 % bei Frauen, The preservation of urinary continence during stress is ensured by the morphofunctional unit of the urethra, the levator ani muscle, and the endopelvic fascia, whose complex interaction is reflected by the cover term "stress urinary continence control system". The present study investigated the morphology of the stress urinary continence control system in continent nulliparous women by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to define its normal anatomy. Based on these results, MRI was performed in women with stress urinary incontinence (UI) to develop a consistent terminology for the pathomorphologic changes of the stress urinary continence control system in stress UI visualized by MRI. In the continent nulliparous women (n = 20) MRI morphometry of the urethra, levator ani muscle, and endopelvic fascia revealed considerable variation in normal anatomy (e.g., cross-sectional area of urethra: 1.7 ( 0.4 cm², ratio 2.4; volume of levator ani muscle: 33.1 ( 8.1 cm³, ratio 2.5) as reflected by the calculated ratios (relation between the maximum and minimum values). These results preclude the definition of normal values and suggest that there is a constitutional risk for the development of dysfunction of the stress urinary continence control system. Because of the morphometric variation found in the normal stress urinary continence control system in continent nulliparious women, the MR images of the urethra, levator ani muscle, and endopelvic fascia acquired in women with UI (n = 54) were analyzed according to qualitative criteria. An increased signal intensity of striated muscle on proton-density-weighted images was classified as abnormal. This increase is caused by biochemical or morphologic changes of the muscle (atrophy, increased deposition of fat, water, or lactate). Comparison of both study groups demonstrated this typical UI-associated change in the external urethral sphincter muscle and the levator ani muscle (0 % in nulliparous women vs. 50 % and 28 %, respectively, in

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the ability of human uterine myocytes to grow under anaerobic conditions for a prolonged time period. METHODS: Cells were isolated from fundal myometrium and cultured until subconfluency. The cell type was confirmed by immunostaining for the smooth muscle cell-specific cytoskeletal proteins alpha-actin and desmin. Some cells were further cultured under aerobic conditions and others under anaerobic conditions. Cells were harvested after 0, 4 and 8 days in culture and analyzed for their content of adenylates. RESULTS: Immunostaining revealed that all three preparations contained almost only smooth muscle cells. Energy charge of the myocytes was 0.88 on average at the beginning of the culture experiment. A moderate decrease was noted on day 4 for myocytes grown under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions and no further decrease was noted between days 4 and 8. Morphologically the cells retained their normal appearance and they seemed healthy for at least 8 days in culture under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that human myometrial cells can survive for an extended period of time under in vitro conditions regardless of oxygen availability for energy metabolism. This means that anaerobic energy metabolism is enough to sustain vital processes during that period of time.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to study the appearance and distribution of connexins 43 and 26 in various human myometrial cell cultures. STUDY DESIGN: Scrape loading, Western blotting, and immunohistochemical techniques were applied to cultured cells derived from myometrial tissues obtained from nonpregnant and pregnant women (upper and lower uterine segments) and from leiomyomas (tumor and analogous myometrial tissues). RESULTS: Scrape loading revealed the presence of metabolic coupling in all tissues. Indirect immunohistochemical studies showed membrane localization of connexin 43 in all myometrial cultures. Western blots and indirect immunohistochemical studies showed the presence and localization of the connexin 26 protein and associated gap junctions in tissues from myomas and from nonpregnant and pregnant women except for those derived from the upper segment of the pregnant uterus. CONCLUSION: These results show that human myometrial cultures express various gap junction proteins and that there are regional differences in expression of connexins in tissues from pregnant women.