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Diastasis width not associated with increase in intra-abdominal pressure, in rectus diastasis correction
Diastasis width was not associated with an increase in intra-abdominal pressure when patients underwent rectus diastasis correction, according to recent study results.
“The diastasis width does not interfere with the increase of the [intra-abdominal pressure] when a plication of the anterior aponeurosis is performed to correct rectus diastasis in patients with a BMI under 28 kg/m2,” Maria Amelia Rodrigues, MSc, and colleagues wrote. “Therefore, patients with a wide diastasis will not necessarily have a larger increase in the [intra-abdominal pressure]. Patients should have their diastasis corrected by the plication of the anterior sheath, performed at the medial edges of the recti muscles, as the procedure will not elevate the [intra-abdominal pressure] to clinically adverse levels.”
Rodrigues and colleagues analyzed 17 female patients with a mean age of 31.9 years who underwent rectus diastasis correction at a single center. The intra-abdominal pressure was measured before and after the rectus sheath correction, and the researchers calculated both the abdominal surface area and relative diastasis coefficient to identify any correlations between intra-abdominal pressure and diastasis width.
Plication of the rectus sheath included two layers: One with separate stitches and a second layer of continuous sutures. The researchers measured the diastasis width at 3 cm above the umbilicus and 2 cm above and below the umbilicus, according to the abstract.
The researchers found that the average abdominal surface area was 653.7 cm2. Relative diastasis coefficient values were 360 × 105 at 3 cm above the umbilicus; 395 × 105 at 2 cm above and 329.3 × 105 at 2 cm below the umbilicus. However, Rodrigues and colleagues found no statistically significant correlation between intra-abdominal pressure variation and relative diastasis coefficient values and each diastasis width measured, according to the abstract. – by Jeff Craven
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.