Should diastasis recti be corrected?

The plication of the anterior rectus sheath is a procedure that is performed by most surgeons during abdominoplasty. A main concern is whether the correction of recti diastasis is really effective and if it is stable. In order to verify the position of the rectus muscle, a CT-scan was used in 14 patients who underwent abdominoplasty with rectus plication to compare the preoperative situation of these muscles with their position 3 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. None of these patients had had previous abdominal surgery. The recti diastasis was corrected with a two-layer 2-0 Nylon suture. A dynamometer was used to measure the resistance force of the anterior aponeurosis of the rectus. In all cases the CT data shows that correction of the diastasis was achieved completely after 6 months.