Pelviperineology: about

The Rivista Italiana di Colon-Proctologia was founded in 1982 and for 20 years it has been the journal of the various Italian societies of coloproctology. In 1990 the multidisciplinary future of the journal was first expressed  in an editorial introducing the proceedings of an international meeting on perineology  which was held in Venice, Italy.

The word perineology represents a neologism. Many specialties have split into subspecialties. From surgery and from gastroenterology derived proctology. The latter needs now an evolution, mainly for its functional aspects. The proctologist cannot restrict his competence to the posterior perineum, as the urologist and the gynaecologist, when evaluating the pelvic floor and its diseases, must take into account the posterior compartment. A unitary view of the pelvic organs function then creates a sort of superspecialty that must open new spaces to the research insuring to the patients more rational solutions. Perineology is then a medical branch of which we probably will hear talking more and more in the future. (G. Dodi, RICP 1990; 9: 113)

In 2004, in its 23rd year of life, the prophecy was fulfilled, and the title of the journal was modified with the addition of “Pelvi-Perineologia”. The cover featured the classic body of the Aphrodite of Milos with her allusive half covered pelvis. The contents changed as well and Pelvi-Perineologia became the official publication of the Italian Interdisciplinary Society of the Pelvic Floor.

It became soon evident that it was easy to talk about a multidisciplinary, holistic or interdisciplinary approach, as it was relatively easy to put together articles from different disciplines, and it’s easy even to organize meetings involving urologists, gynaecologists and colorectal surgeons. However, when each of them talks and presents his work, it is very difficult for his colleagues in another discipline to understand him, and it’s unusual that they actually listen to what the specialist from “next door” has to say. The different disciplines often have no common understanding of the anatomy, physiology or treatments that are promoting.

Considering this disappointing experience, it has been thought that the journal’s mission should not only be to inform through original articles, reviews and cases reports, but also to provide a broader understanding by bringing together the knowledge and experience that is available in the international literature. The result was the Pelvic Floor Digest, a collection of thousands of titles of articles with their own abstracts organized in a rational manner. Every month this collection grows to cover most of what has been written in the world about all aspects of the pelvic floor. The Digest was first placed on the web in 2002, and since then has been closely connected with the journal.

Here ends the story of the Rivista Italiana di Colon-Proctologia and of Pelvi-Perineologia. The future is represented by the title “Pelviperineology” one word only, to emphasize the strong will of the Editorial Board to consider all the compartments of the pelvis and of the perineum, with the body around and the mind above, as a single unit.

The  Australian  Association  of  Vaginal  &  Incontinence  Surgeons  (AAVIS)  was  formed  by  delegates  to  a  pelvic  floor workshop organised by Peter Petros in Perth in 1996. AAVIS was originally designed as a support group for Australian and New Zealand surgeons performing the Intravaginal Slingplasy (IVS) procedure when it was first developed by Petros and Ulmsten. Since then AAVIS has developed into a true multidisciplinary pelvic floor society with members around the world and welcomes membership enquiries from any interested persons. There are regular training, accreditation and clinical meetings and each year there is an Annual Scientific Meeting.

The first AAVIS Annual Scientific Meeting was held at Coolangatta on the Queensland Gold Coast in 1999. Just 30 delegates attended a live surgery workshop and two days of lectures before electing a new executive and planning the next meeting. In 2000 the venue was Melbourne where over 60 gynaecologists attended together with a large number of GPs and physiotherapists. Our first urologist joined in 2001 and our first colorectal surgeon in 2005. By 2006 at the Hyatt Coolum Resort on the Queensland Sunshine Coast the program attracted over 200 people to the scientific meeting including invited international guests.
A number of initiatives have begun in 2007. Regular meetings of pelvic surgeons using prostheses were begun in major cities and a national prosthesis implant register was also initiated. Interactive surgical training workshops were held and membership in Australia, New Zealand and around the world has continued to grow.