The inguinal canal (canalis inguinalis) is a 5-cm-long passage located in the lower part of the abdominal wall. It holds the spermatic cord in the male and the round ligament of the uterus in the female. It travels laterally, obliquely, and upwards from the superficial inguinal ring above the superior ramus of the pubic bone to the deep inguinal ring, which is situated about 1.5 cm above the medial section of inguinal ligament. The anterior wall of the inguinal canal is formed by the aponeurosis of external oblique muscle, and the posterior wall by the transversalis fascia.
The superficial inguinal ring is an oval opening about 2.5 cm in diameter, located right above the pubic bone. The deep inguinal ring, which is at the other end, is the entrance opening to the inguinal canal as the superficial inguinal ring is the exit. The inferior epigastric artery and veins run medially of the deep inguinal ring as this fact must be borne in mind when the deep inguinal ring has to be cut in incarcerated hernia. Meanwhile, the spermatic cord is a round bundle which consists of the pampiniform plexus (venous network), the vas deference (which carries spermatozoa), the testicular artery, and nerves.
Below, an schematic drawing of the inguinal canal and other anatomical structures of the inguinal region of a male
