Validation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the pelvic floor bother questionnaire

Introduction and hypothesisThe Pelvic Floor Bother Questionnaire (PFBQ) was designed to identify the presence and degree of bother associated with common pelvic floor symptoms. The PFBQ can be used in clinical practice and for research purposes, but it is not available in Brazilian Portuguese. We aimed to validate a cross-culturally adapted Brazilian Portuguese version of the PFBQ.MethodsA pilot-tested version of the PFBQ translated from English was evaluated with Brazilian patients suffering from pelvic floor disorders. Internal reliability, test-retest reliability, validity, and responsiveness to change were assessed.ResultsA total of 147 patients (mean age, 60.49years) were enrolled in the study. The Brazilian Portuguese version of the PFBQ demonstrated good reliability (=0.625; ICC=0.981). There was strong agreement beyond chance for each item (=0.895-1.00). The PFBQ correlated with stage of prolapse (p<0.01), number of urinary (=0.791, p<0.001) and fecal (=0.78, p<0.001) incontinence episodes, and obstructed defecation (=0.875, p<0.001).ConclusionsThe Brazilian Portuguese version of the PFBQ is a reliable, valid, and user-friendly instrument that can be used for assessing the presence and severity of pelvic floor symptoms in clinical and research settings in Brazil.