Introduction
Hernias are “fractures”. Abdominal viscera emerge through the abdominal wall to the outside. An inguinal hernia is a hernia of intestines through the inguinal canal.
The inguinal hernias are the most common of all hernias in the human body, accounting for 75% of all hernias. The inguinal canal runs diagonally in the groin: from the back – top – outside to the front – bottom – center. In its course it must pass through several layers of the abdominal wall.
Its beginning lies at the inner, its end at the outer inguinal ring. In men, the spermatic cord runs through the inguinal canal. There are direct and indirect inguinal hernias. They differ in their hernial orifice. The majority (60-70%) are indirect hernias.
Indirect inguinal hernia
This type of inguinal hernia can be congenital or acquired. In congenital hernias there is an unsealed layer of the abdominal wall after the testicle has descended in the normal development in the womb. In the case of acquired hernias, a layer of the abdominal wall expands only in the course of life. Peritoneum also protrudes into the hernial canal. The indirect inguinal hernia always passes through the physiological inguinal canal and can extend into the testicles.
Direct inguinal hernia
Direct inguinal hernias, unlike indirect ones, are always acquired. The hernial orifice has primarily nothing to do with the inguinal canal. It lies further in the middle and the hernia gate runs vertically through the abdominal wall. Here weak points in the musculature are present.
Symptoms of inguinal hernia
Among the most common symptoms are In the same way, inguinal hernia is one of the most common causes of pain in the inguinal ligament.
- Pulling pain, which increases e.g. when coughing
- Swelling, which can sometimes be reduced to the abdomen by external pressure
- Feeling of pressure
- Radiating pain in the thigh or genitals (for example, a pulling in the testicles)
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