Makindo Medical Notes"One small step for man, one large step for Makindo" |
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| Item | Femoral Canal | Inguinal Canal |
|---|---|---|
| 📍 Location | Most medial compartment of the femoral sheath, below the inguinal ligament, medial to femoral vein. | Oblique passage in the lower anterior abdominal wall, running from deep inguinal ring to superficial ring, above the inguinal ligament. |
| 🧱 Boundaries (walls) |
Anterior (roof): Inguinal ligament
Posterior (floor): Pectineal (Cooper’s) ligament over pectineus fascia Medial: Lacunar ligament Lateral: Femoral vein |
Anterior wall: External oblique aponeurosis (+ internal oblique laterally)
Posterior wall: Transversalis fascia, reinforced medially by conjoint tendon Roof: Arching fibres of internal oblique & transversus abdominis Floor: Inguinal ligament (medially reinforced by lacunar ligament) |
| 🎒 Contents | Lymphatics & areolar tissue only (incl. deep inguinal node of Cloquet) + fat. ➜ Allows femoral vein to expand. (Femoral artery/vein/nerve are not in the canal; artery/vein lie in adjacent femoral sheath compartments; nerve is outside the sheath.) |
Both sexes: Ilioinguinal nerve (sensory; runs in part of the canal), genital branch of genitofemoral nerve (within cord in males).
Males: Spermatic cord and contents. Females: Round ligament of the uterus. |
| 🚨 Clinical | Femoral hernia: passes through femoral canal, inferolateral to pubic tubercle, below inguinal ligament, medial to femoral vein. Higher risk of strangulation (rigid borders). | Inguinal hernia: above inguinal ligament; Indirect via deep ring (lateral to inferior epigastrics), Direct through Hesselbach’s triangle (medial to inferior epigastrics). |
| 🧭 Surface anatomy tips | Femoral pulse just below inguinal ligament, midway ASIS→pubic tubercle; canal is medial to this (medial to vein). | Superficial ring superolateral to pubic tubercle; deep ring ≈ 1.5–2 cm above midpoint of inguinal ligament. |