Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Direct inguinal hernia
Introduction
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Overview
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The direct inguinal hernia, a type of inguinal hernia, enters through a weak point in the fascia of the abdominal wall, and its sac is noted to be medial to the inferior epigastric vessels. Direct inguinal hernias are the same in men and women.
A direct inguinal hernia protrudes through a weakened area in the transversalis fascia near the medial inguinal fossa within an anatomic region known as the medial or Hesselbach’s triangle, an area defined by the edge of the rectus abdominis muscle, the inguinal ligament and the inferior epigastric artery. These hernias and are also capable of exiting via the external ring and moving on to the scrotum.
When a patient suffers a simultaneous direct and indirect hernia on the same side, the result is called a “pantaloon” hernia (because it looks like a pair of pants, with the epigastric vessels in the crotch), and the defects can be repaired separately or together.
Editor-In-Chief:
C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]