Femoral canal

Boundaries

• Proximal opening: Femoral Ring
  • Boundaries of Femoral Ring:
    • Anterior: Medial part of Inguinal Ligament
    • Medial: Crescentic edge of Lacunar Ligament
    • Posterior: Pectineal Ligament
    • Lateral: Femoral Vein

• 25% of pts have an Aberrant Obturator Artery (Corona Mortis) which can cause significant bleeding if the Lacunar Ligament is stretched or divided during femoral hernia repair
  • Aberrant Obturator Artery a branch of the Inferior Epigastric Artery

Contents

• Lymph node (of Cloquet)

  • Female: Drains directly from Clitoris
  • Male: Drains from the Glans

• Lymphatic vessels draining Deep Inguinal Lymph Nodes

• Empty space

• Loose connective tissue

• NB: In Femoral Hernias, the Hernial Sac:

  • Passes behind the Inguinal Ligament
  • Passes medial to the Femoral Vein
  • Passes anterior to the Superior Pubic Ramus
  • Covered by the fascias of the Femoral Septum and Cribriform Fascia
  • Contains a large quantity of fat
  • More common in female than in male patients
  • Less common than inguinal hernias in female patients
  • Not able to be controlled by wearing a hernia truss
  • Classically associated with strangulation bowel obstruction of Richter type
  • Not more prone to recurrence after surgery than inguinal hernias