Generality
Crural hernia, or femoral hernia, is a type of abdominal hernia, characterized by the protrusion of a bowel of the abdomen into the so-called femoral canal. The femoral canal is a short longitudinal duct, located approximately at the level of the groin, near the femoral artery and the femoral vein.
The factors that can induce a collapse of the muscular wall of the abdomen are different.
If mild, the crural hernia is often asymptomatic; if, on the other hand, it is severe, it can cause various problems (swelling, groin pain, etc.), some of which are also very serious and dangerous for the patient's life.
In the case of severe crural hernia, early diagnosis and prompt surgery is required ad hoc.
Mild cases of crural hernia do not generally require any type of treatment.
So "is a" hernia
A "hernia" is the leakage of a viscera and / or adjacent tissues (for example the surrounding adipose tissues) from the body cavity that normally contains these anatomical elements (N.B: the word viscera indicates a generic internal organ).
The spill can be total or partial.
What is the crural hernia
Crural hernia, or femoral hernia, is a type of abdominal hernia, in which a bowel of the abdomen has leaked out of its cavity and entered the femoral canal.
Described as the medial and smaller compartment of the so-called femoral sheath, the femoral canal resides in the uppermost and innermost part of the leg, near the groin.
Due to its particular location, the crural hernia is very reminiscent of the inguinal hernia; however, it should be noted immediately that the two conditions are distinct and crural hernia episodes are more at risk of complications.
SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FEMORAL CHANNEL
About 1.3 cm long (therefore very short) and in a longitudinal position with respect to the body, the femoral canal borders on:
- The inguinal ligament, anteriorly
- The pectine ligament, posteriorly
- The lacunar ligament, medially
- The femoral vein, laterally
Its upper mouth is called the femoral ring; to close the femoral ring is a band of connective tissue, called the femoral septum. The lymphatic vessels that flow along the femoral canal pass through the femoral septum; above the septum c "is the intestinal compartment.
Inside the femoral canal, there are:
- The deep inguinal lymph nodes
- The lymphatic vessels that drain the lymph reaching the deep inguinal lymph nodes
- Empty space
- Loose connective tissue
The empty space in the femoral canal allows the nearby femoral vein to stretch more easily as it carries blood from the periphery to the heart.
The femoral sheath - of which the femoral canal is part - forms, together with the femoral nerve, the great saphenous vein and the sartorius muscles, adductor longus, iliopsoas and pectineus, an anatomical region known as the femoral triangle (Scarpa's otriangle).
