PFMT relevant strategies to prevent perineal trauma: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background Most women suffer from perineal trauma during childbirth, whether it is natural tears or episiotomy. Objectives To perform a systematic review and network meta-analysis investigating the effectiveness of different PFMT relevant strategies in the prevention of perineal trauma. Search strategy PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, CNKI, CBM, WANFANG DATABASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for citations published in any language from inception to 1 July 2021. Selection criteria Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of PFMT relevant prevention strategies for preventing perineal trauma during childbirth. Data collection and analysis Data were independently extracted by two reviewers. Relative treatment effects were estimated using network meta-analysis (NMA). Main results Of 12 632 citations searched, 21 RCTs were included. Comparing with usual care, “PFMT combine with perineal massage” and PFMT alone showed more superiority in intact perineum (RR = 5.37, 95% CI: 3.79 to 7.60, moderate certainty; RR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.34–4.97, moderate certainty, respectively), episiotomy (RR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.14–0.49, very low certainty; RR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.45–0.90, very low certainty, respectively), and OASIS (RR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.16–0.78, moderate certainty; RR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.28–0.85, high certainty, respectively). “PFMT combine with perineal massage” showed superiority in reducing perineal tear (RR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.20–0.85, moderate certainty). Conclusions In view of the results, antenatal “PFMT combine with perineal massage” and PFMT were effective strategies for the prevention of perineal trauma.