Can the abdominal perimeter be used as an accurate estimation of intra-abdominal pressure?*

Abstract

In view of the poor correlation between IAP and AP, the latter cannot be used as a clinical estimate for IAP. The correlation between DeltaIAP and DeltaAP was somewhat better, meaning that DeltaAP can be used as an estimate of the evolution of IAP over time; however, for making a definite diagnosis of intra-abdominal hypertension or abdominal compartment syndrome, the exact value of IAP needs to be measured.