SynthesisSurgical endoscopy2017
The general surgeon's perspective of rectus diastasis. A systematic review of treatment options.
Synthesis in Surgical endoscopy, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04176874 (Robotic-assisted Diastasis of the Rectus Abdominis Muscles Repair), which is not on this map. Cited by 75 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Robotic-assisted Diastasis of the Rectus Abdominis Muscles Repair: Evaluation of a Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedure
Who cites it
75 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 151 citations in OpenAlex.
- What is the evidence for abdominal and pelvic floor muscle training to treat diastasis recti abdominis postpartum? An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials and trial sequential analysis.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Non operative management of postpartum Diastasis Recti: a systematic review and metanalysis of randomized controlled trials.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Mesh repair versus suture plication for rectus diastasis: the results of meta-analysis.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2025Pooled it
- The Italian national consensus conference on the diagnosis and treatment of Rectus Abdominis diastasis in Post-gravidic Women.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Short‑term outcomes of minimally invasive endoscopic onlay repair for diastasis recti and ventral hernia repair: a systematic review and meta‑analysis.Surgical endoscopy · 2025Pooled it
- Open Versus Laparoscopic Surgical Management of Rectus Diastasis: Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis of Complications and Recurrence Rates.World journal of surgery · 2022Pooled it
- Closing the gap: evidence-based surgical treatment of rectus diastasis associated with abdominal wall hernias.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2021Pooled it
- Rectus diastasis repair with and without mesh at 1 year: randomized clinical trial.The British journal of surgery · 2025Trial
- Long-term follow-up after surgical repair of abdominal rectus diastasis: A Prospective Randomized Study.Scandinavian journal of surgery : SJS : official organ for the Finnish Surgical Society and the Scandinavian Surgical Society · 2021Trial
- Concomitant Abdominoplasty and Repair of Midline Abdominal Wall Defects.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Article
- Minimally Invasive Robotic Endoscopic Lipoabdominoplasty for Rectus Diastasis: A Clinical and Demographic Case Series.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Rectus diastasis is not a single entity: phenotype-specific controversies in surgical management.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2026Review
- Restoring Core Strength After Rectus Diastasis Repair: A Prospective Controlled Study of Abdominal Muscle Function Following Abdominoplasty.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Article
- Article
- Reply to the Letter Regarding "Impact of Abdominoplasty with Diastasis Recti Correction on Female Sexual Function".Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Article
- Diastasis recti in male patients: a literature review and proposed management.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2026Review
- Prevalence of Symptomatic Established Rectus Diastasis of Parity in Primiparous Women: A Prospective Cohort Study From Early Pregnancy to 1-Year Postpartum.World journal of surgery · 2026Article
- Trends in operative treatment of the rectus diastasis A 13 year analysis of German nationwide hospital discharge data.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2025Observational
- Effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on diastasis recti abdominis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Abdominoplasty and rectus diastasis repair-a plastic surgeon's perspective.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2025Review
15 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDiastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles (DRAM) is characterised by thinning and widening of the linea alba, combined with laxity of the ventral abdominal musculature. This causes the midline to "bulge" when intra-abdominal pressure is increased. Plastic surgery treatment for DRAM has been thoroughly evaluated, though general surgical treatments and the efficacy of physiotherapy remain elusive. The aim of this systematic literature review is to evaluate both general surgical and physiotherapeutic treatment options for restoring DRAM in terms of postoperative complications, patient satisfaction, and recurrence rates.
methodMEDLINE
resultTwenty articles describing 1.691 patients (1.591 surgery/100 physiotherapy) were included. Surgical interventions were classified as plication techniques (313 patients; 254 open/59 laparoscopic), modified hernia repair techniques (68 patients, all open), and combined hernia & DRAM techniques (1.210 patients; 1.149 open/40 hybrid). The overall methodological quality was low. Plication techniques with interrupted sutures and mesh reinforcement were applied most frequently for DRAM repair. Open repairs were performed in 85% of patients. There was no difference in postoperative complications or recurrence rate after laparoscopic or open procedures, or between plication and modified hernia repair techniques. Physiotherapy programmes were unable to reduce IRD in a relaxed state. Though reduction of IRD during muscle contraction was described.
conclusionBoth plication-based methods and hernia repair methods are used for DRAM repair. Based on the current literature, no clear distinction in recurrence rate, postoperative complications, or patient reported outcomes can be made. Complete resolution of DRAM, measured in a relaxed state, following a physiotherapy training programme is not described in current literature. Physiotherapy can achieve a limited reduction in IRD during muscle contraction, though the impact of this finding on patient satisfaction, cosmesis, or function outcome is unclear.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.