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Inguinal canal

inguinal canal

Front of abdomen, showing surface markings for arteries and inguinal canal. (Inguinal canal is tube at lower left.)

The scrotum. On the left side the cavity of the tunica vaginalis has been opened; on the right side only the layers superficial to the Cremaster have been removed. (Right inguinal canal visible at upper left.)
Latin	canalis inguinalis
Gray's	subject #258 1239
MeSH	Inguinal+Canal

The inguinal canal is a passage in the anterior (toward the front of the body) abdominal wall which in men conveys the spermatic cord and in women the round ligament. The inguinal canal is larger and more prominent in men.

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Site

The inguinal canal is situated just above the medial half of the inguinal ligament.

Length

Approximately 1.5 inches.

Direction

It is directed downwards, forwards and medially.

Boundaries

A first-order approximation is to visualize the canal as a cylinder, stretching from the deep inguinal ring to the superficial inguinal ring.^[1]

To help define the boundaries, the canal is often further approximated as a box with six sides. Not including the two rings, the remaining four sides are usually called the "anterior wall", "posterior wall", "roof", and "floor".^[2] These consist of the following:

	superior wall (roof): internal oblique transversus abdominis
anterior wall: aponeurosis of external oblique aponeurosis of internal oblique (lateral third of canal only)^[3] superficial inguinal ring (medial third of canal only)^[4]	(inguinal canal)	posterior wall: transversalis fascia conjoint tendon (medial third of canal only)^[4] deep inguinal ring (lateral third of canal only)^[4]
	inferior wall (floor): inguinal ligament lacunar ligament (medial third of canal only)^[4] iliopubic tract (lateral third of canal only)^[3]

One way to remember these structures is with the mnemonic "MALT", starting at the top and going counterclockwise:

M - muscles
A - aponeuroses
L - ligaments
T - transversalis/tendon

in males : the spermatic cord^[5] and its coverings + the ilioinguinal nerve.
in females : the round ligament of the uterus + the ilioinguinal nerve.

Note that the ilioinguinal nerve does not travel through the entire canal: it enters the side of it, and exits through the superficial ring.^[2]

Some sources state that the genital branch of genitofemoral nerve also runs through the inguinal canal, ^[6] but it is also possible to associate this nerve with the spermatic cord, and not as a distinct structure passing through the canal.

Development

During development in men the testes descend from their starting point near the kidneys down the abdomen and through the inguinal canal to reach the scrotum.

Disorders

Abdominal contents (potentially including intestine) can be abnormally displaced from the abdominal cavity. Where these contents exit through the inguinal canal the condition is known as an indirect inguinal hernia. This condition is far more common in men than in women, owing to the inguinal canal's small size in women.

A hernia that exits the abdominal cavity directly through the deep layers of the abdominal wall, thereby bypassing the inguinal canal, is known as a direct inguinal hernia.

Additional images

References

^ Gross Anatomy Image. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
^ ^a ^b Adam Mitchell; Drake, Richard; Gray, Henry David; Wayne Vogl (2005). Gray's anatomy for students. Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone, 260. ISBN 0-443-06612-4.
^ ^a ^b Dalley, Arthur F.; Moore, Keith L. (2006). Clinically oriented anatomy. Hagerstwon, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 217. ISBN 0-7817-3639-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Arthur F., II Dalley; Anne M. R. Agur. Grant's Atlas of Anatomy. Hagerstwon, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 102. ISBN 0-7817-4255-2.
^ Anatomy Tables - Inguinal Region. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
^ Kyung Won, PhD. Chung (2005). Gross Anatomy (Board Review). Hagerstwon, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 198. ISBN 0-7817-5309-0.

v • d • e General anatomy of torso
Thorax/ Thoracic cavity	Mediastinum (Superior, Anterior, Middle, Posterior) • Superior thoracic aperture • Inferior thoracic aperture • Triangle of auscultation • Intercostal space • Thoracic plane • Thoracic wall/Thoracic cage - fascia (Pectoral fascia, Clavipectoral fascia, Thoracolumbar fascia) • Chest • Midsternal line
Thoracic diaphragm	openings (Caval opening, Esophageal hiatus, Aortic hiatus, Foramina of Morgagni) • Central tendon • Crus of diaphragm • arcuate ligaments (Lateral, Medial, Median)
Abdomen/ Abdominal cavity	Retroperitoneum • Paracolic gutters • Hepatobiliary triangle anterior abdominal wall (Arcuate line, Linea alba, Tendinous intersection, Linea semilunaris, McBurney's point, Traube's space, Inguinal triangle) • Inguinal canal (Deep inguinal ring, Superficial inguinal ring, Intercrural fibers, Crura of superficial inguinal ring) • Lumbar triangle • regions (Epigastrium, Hypochondrium, Umbilical region, Latus, Hypogastrium, Inguinal region) • planes (Transpyloric plane, Intertubercular plane, Midclavicular line) fascia (Fascia of Camper, Fascia of Scarpa, Transversalis fascia, Renal fascia, Rectus sheath)
Pelvis/ Pelvic cavity	Pelvic floor • Retropubic space fascia (Pelvic fascia, Superior fascia of diaphragm of pelvis, Inferior fascia of diaphragm of pelvis, Fascia of the Obturator internus, Tendinous arch, Iliac fascia)
Perineum	Anal triangle (Ischioanal fossa, Pudendal canal, Anococcygeal raphe) Urogenital triangle (Superficial perineal pouch, Deep perineal pouch) Perineal body fascia (Dartos/fascia of perineum/superficial perineal fascia/Fascia of Colles, Perineal membrane/"Inferior fascia of UGD", "Superior fascia of UGD")

Category: Abdomen

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Inguinal_canal". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.