Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 26, 2025

Quantification of Levator Ani Hiatus Enlargement by Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Males and Females with Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Published on: April 17, 2019
Prevalence of rectus diastasis is higher in patients with inguinal hernia
1Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziosmanpasa University, Sevki Erek Yerleskesi, 60030, Tokat, Turkey. basri_celil@hotmail.com.
Purpose:
To determine the prevalence of rectus diastasis (RD) in patients with inguinal hernia.
Material And Methods:
Multicenter, cross-sectional study. Patients with inguinal hernia were included in the study group (IH) and those with benign proctologic complaints created the control group (CG). Age, gender, BMI, family history for inguinal hernias, comorbid diseases, alcohol use, smoking, constipation, malignancy, chemotherapy, number of births, multiple pregnancies and prostate hypertrophy history of all patients in both groups were recorded. All patients were evaluated for RD and umbilical hernias by physical examination.
Results:
A total of 528 consecutive patients were included in the study (292 IH / 236 CG). Overall prevalence of RD was 35.6% and it was significantly higher in IH than in CG (46.9% vs 21.6%, p < 0.001). Also, umbilical hernia was more frequently detected in the patients with inguinal hernia. Other risk factors for RD were age, BMI, DM, BPH and smoking. The mean inter-rectus distance for 528 patients was 18.1 mm; it was 20.71 ± 10.68 mm in IH and 14.88 ± 8.82 in CG (p < 0.001). It was determined that the increase in age and BMI caused an increase in the inter-rectus distance, and that the presence of DM, inguinal hernia and umbilical hernia increased the inter-rectus distance quantitatively.
Conclusions:
The prevalence of RD seems to be higher in patients with inguinal hernia comparing to that in general population. Increased age, high BMI and DM were found to be independent risk factors for RD development.
Related Concept Videos
Assessment of the Rectum and Anus
Rectal Inspection
Begin by inspecting the perianal and anal areas for color, texture, rashes,...
Abdominal Regions and Quadrants
The simpler quadrants approach, which is more commonly used in medicine, subdivides the cavity with one horizontal and one vertical line that intersects at the patient's umbilicus (navel). The four...
Muscles of the Pelvic Floor and Perineum
Perineal Layer
The perineum is a diamond-shaped area below the pelvic diaphragm, divided into an anterior urogenital triangle that contains the external genitals and a posterior anal triangle housing the anus. The urogenital...
Muscles of the Abdomen
Anterolateral Region
The anterolateral region comprises five paired muscles classified into the lateral and...

