Evaluation of the aged female baboon as a model of pelvic organ prolapse and pelvic reconstructive surgery

Objective This study examines the baboon as an animal model of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) by describing the pelvic floor anatomy and adapting human clinical assessment tools. Study design The pelvic anatomy of an adult female baboon was observed at necropsy, and comparisons were made to the human and squirrel monkey. The pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) system was used to assess vaginal support in 12 living adult baboons, including 6 young, reproductive-age, nulligravid females (4.8 ± 0.5 years) and 6 older, multiparous females (23.0 ± 0.5 years). Results The female baboon pelvic anatomy was found to have similar architecture to the human and squirrel monkey female. Six multiparous females with mean parity of 5 (range 2-8) showed no evidence of POP or differences in POP-Q measurements from 6 nulliparous females. Conclusion The POP-Q system can be used to assess female baboon vaginal support. In a sample of baboons, pelvic support loss consistent with POP was not identified. As the pelvic anatomy is similar to the human female, the baboon may prove useful for evaluating surgical materials and for modeling pelvic floor reconstructive surgeries.