Urinary Incontinence and Abdominal Diastasis: A Detailed Analysis and Surgical Outcome in 100 Patients Undergoing Abdominoplasty.

[BACKGROUND] Urinary incontinence (UI), particularly stress urinary incontinence (SUI), is a prevalent condition that significantly impacts the quality of life, especially in women. Abdominal diastasis recti, a separation of the rectus abdominis muscles, have been increasingly recognized as a contributing factor to UI due to its impact on core stability and intra-abdominal pressure regulation.

[OBJECTIVE] This study aims to explore the pathophysiological connection between diastasis recti and UI and to evaluate the effectiveness of diastasis correction during abdominoplasty in alleviating UI symptoms.

[METHODS] A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 100 female patients with abdominal diastasis and SUI who underwent abdominoplasty with diastasis repair. Preoperative and postoperative UI severity was assessed using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF), and pelvic floor muscle strength was measured via perineometry. Statistical analysis was performed to compare preoperative and postoperative outcomes.

[RESULTS] Postoperative outcomes demonstrated a significant reduction in ICIQ-SF scores (17.2 ± 4.8 to 6.8 ± 3.3, p < 0.01), a decrease in daily UI episodes (4.6 ± 1.5 to 1.1 ± 0.6, p < 0.01), and an improvement in pelvic floor strength (13.2 ± 3.4 mmHg to 18.5 ± 4.7 mmHg, p < 0.05). These findings indicate that diastasis recti repair restores core stability, alleviates pelvic floor strain, and significantly improves UI symptoms.

[CONCLUSION] Diastasis recti correction during abdominoplasty offers substantial functional benefits beyond esthetic improvements, particularly in reducing UI symptoms. These results underscore the importance of considering diastasis repair as part of a comprehensive treatment approach for patients with concurrent abdominal wall dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings and explore long-term outcomes.

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