Some Additional Data That Might Be Useful for Diastasis Recti Assessment.

Area of Science:

• Abdominal wall surgery
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Medical imaging

Background:

• Diastasis recti (DR) involves rectus abdominis muscle separation and can present with median or global abdominal bulging.
• Current DR classification relies on divarication width, but measurements vary between rest and muscle exertion.
• Understanding bulging types and accurate width measurement is crucial for effective DR assessment and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of different bulging types in diastasis recti patients.
• To compare diastasis recti width measurements obtained via tape measure versus CT scan at rest and during exertion.
• To provide additional features for diastasis recti classification.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 105 patients undergoing diastasis recti and ventral hernia repair.
• Categorization of patients based on median bulging, global bulging, or combined bulging.
• Comparison of diastasis recti width measurements using tape measure and CT scan at rest and during leg raise.

Main Results:

• Median bulging occurred in 42.9% of cases, global bulging in 17.1%, and combined bulging in 35.2%.
• Global bulging was more prevalent in females (51 out of 55 patients).
• Diastasis recti width measurements at leg raise were closer to CT scan values than measurements at rest, with significant differences observed in both conditions.

Conclusions:

• Global bulging should be incorporated into diastasis recti assessment alongside median bulging.
• The significant variation in diastasis recti width between rest and exertion necessitates a debate on which measurement is most appropriate for classification.
• Further research is needed to refine diastasis recti classification criteria based on bulging type and dynamic width measurements.