1.2.2 The inguinal canal

The inguinal canal is a canal measuring around 4 to 5 cm in length and traversing the abdominal wall from the top to the bottom in the inguinal region. Within it are nerves and lymph vessels as well as, in the male, the spermatic cord with the seminal duct and, in the female, the round ligament (one of the ligaments serving to secure the uterus within the pelvis). In terms of anatomy, the inguinal region is a weak point of the abdominal wall since in some parts of it the muscle-tendon layer is very thin. [Fig. 2]