Introduction and hypothesis The aim of this study was to

investigate the degree of correlation between the Pelvic Organ

Quantification system (POP-Q) measurements and symptom

questionnaire scores before and after surgery. This was a part

of a randomized controlled study comparing conventional

colporrhaphy with mesh repair surgery.

Methods The correlation between POP-Q measurements and

Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7) and Pelvic Floor

Distress Inventory (PFDI-20) scores was investigated in 164

women 55 years or older scheduled for primary anterior

vaginal wall prolapse surgery at baseline and the correlation

between the change in point Ba and scores following surgery.

Statistical analyses used McNemar’s and Wilcoxon signedrank

tests, Spearman’s rank-order correlation, and multiple

linear regression.

Results Surgery significantly improved POP-Q, PFIQ-7, and

PFDI-20 scores, including subscales. We observed weak correlations

between POP-Q and PFIQ-7, including subscales

(r 0.173–0.324, p<0.05), and PFDI-20, including the Pelvic

Organ Prolapse Distress Inventory (POPDI) subscale

(r 0.180–0.211, p<0.05). Regression analysis demonstrated a

significant relationship between point Ba and PFIQ-7

(p=0.001) and PFDI-20 (p=0.04), respectively. Furthermore,

we observed a significant relationship between

the change in point Ba (following surgery) and change

in scores; point Ba following surgery was significantly

correlated with symptoms of bulging (r=0.303, p<0.01)

and bladder-emptying problems (r=0.213, p<0.01).

Conclusions The weak correlation between POP-Q and urogenital

symptoms based on questionnaire scores suggests that

neither scoring system is optimal.