Ultrasound Assessment of Ventral Hernia Defects

ARFI-SWV Ultrasound holds promise as an inexpensive, noninvasive, point-of-care diagnostic tool for pre-operatively predicting successful hernia repair. The investigators propose to develop and refine a quantitative ultrasound protocol to measure abdominal wall features suitable for predicting successful closure of the midline fascia. ARFI-SWV ultrasound represents a novel and intriguing modality for real time visualization and characterization of changes in the biomechanical properties of diseased musculoskeletal tissues. In this study, ARFI-SWV ultrasound is hypothesized to preoperatively measure the stiffness in the lateral abdominal wall as an estimation for mobility during hernia repair. Preoperatively evaluating hernia severity through ARFI-SWV ultrasound will be performed to identify mechanical characteristics of the abdominal musculature to predict success of midline fascial re-approximation in hernia patients. The study proposes to compare ultrasound images and associated shear wave velocity measurements between 35 healthy volunteers and 25 subjects undergoing surgical repair for ventral hernia. Subjects with ventral hernia will undergo imaging no earlier than two weeks prior to elective hernia repair and again postoperatively within six months following repair at a standard followup visit. Statistical analysis will determine if there is a significant difference in the abdominal wall stiffness, represented by the ultrasound shear wave velocity measurements, between the healthy subjects and the subjects with ventral hernia. Further analysis will determine if there is any statistically significant relationship between abdominal wall stiffness of subjects with ventral hernia and surgical outcomes.