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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Physiol.
Sec. Medical Physics and Imaging
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1382982
This article is part of the Research Topic Pushing The Physical Limits Of Wave Propagation In Soft Tissues: An Add-On To Shear Wave Elastography View all 5 articles

A prospective study of two-dimensional ultrasonography combined with shear wave elastography for pregnancy-related diastasis recti abdominis

Provisionally accepted
Li Wang Li Wang 1,2Ting Yun Ting Yun 1*Dong Zhang Dong Zhang 1Jianrong Zhong Jianrong Zhong 1*Dan Yi Dan Yi 3*Wan X. Fu Wan X. Fu 1Molin Li Molin Li 3Yunshan Zhang Yunshan Zhang 1*Yuexiang Wang Yuexiang Wang 3*
  • 1 Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
  • 2 Graduate School of The PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
  • 3 The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objectives: To compare the inter-rectus distance (IRD), rectus abdominis thickness (RAT), and stiffness in women during pregnancy and postpartum and identify the risk and protective factors affecting diastasis recti abdominis (DRA).A total of 171 pregnant women who volunteered to participate in this study were recruited. Using an ultrasonographic diagnostic instrument with shear wave elastography function, IRD, RAT and the Young's modulus of the rectus abdominis muscles were measured at 12 weeks, 37 weeks of pregnancy, and 6 weeks postpartum.The IRD at 37 weeks was significantly higher than that at 12 weeks and then decreased at 6 weeks postpartum, but it was still higher than that at 12 weeks (p < 0.001). RAT and Young's modulus decreased significantly at 37 weeks compared with those at 12 weeks and then recovered at 6 weeks postpartum, but they were lower than those at 12 weeks (p < 0.001). IRD at 12 weeks was significantly higher in multiparae than in primiparae (p < 0.001). Moreover, positive correlation between the RAT and Young's modulus of rectus abdominis muscles at 12 and 37 weeks of gestation and 6 weeks postpartum (p < 0.001) was observed. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the regression equation was significant (f = 24.856, p < 001).3 Conclusion: Our study identified differences in IRD, thickness and stiffness of the rectus abdominis muscle between early and advanced pregnancy and the postpartum period. The risk and protective factors of DRA may guide pregnant women's protection and treatment.

    Keywords: Ultrasonography, Elasticity Imaging Techniques, Rectus Abdominis, Inter-rectus distance, Muscle thickness

    Received: 06 Feb 2024; Accepted: 08 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Yun, Zhang, Zhong, Yi, Fu, Li, Zhang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Ting Yun, Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
    Jianrong Zhong, Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
    Dan Yi, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
    Yunshan Zhang, Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
    Yuexiang Wang, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.