Hernia · Interactive 3D

Inguinal canal & hernia anatomy

The left groin from the front with the abdominal wall opened in layers: the deep inguinal ring, the inguinal ligament with the femoral artery and vein passing beneath it into the thigh, the femoral canal medial to the vein, and the hip bone and femur for orientation.

Interactive — drag to rotate

Inguinal canal & hernia anatomy — still render

AI-assisted model. Labels checked against standard anatomy references; specialist review pending.

What to look at

1This is the left groin seen from the front: the midline is to your left and the hip to your right. Turn it towards you rather than all the way round — the back of the model mirrors the front.
2The deep ring lies just above the midpoint of the inguinal ligament, lateral to the inferior epigastric vessels; the superficial ring lies above and medial to the pubic tubercle. Indirect hernias enter at the deep ring; direct hernias push through the posterior wall medial to the inferior epigastric vessels, in Hesselbach’s triangle.
3Below the inguinal ligament the femoral sheath holds, from lateral to medial, the femoral artery, the femoral vein and the femoral canal. The femoral nerve lies outside the sheath, lateral to the artery.
4A femoral hernia passes down the femoral canal below the ligament and lateral to the pubic tubercle; the rigid anterior and medial borders of the canal are why it strangulates.
5The model is an AI-assisted illustration of these relations, not a dissection: the contents of the canal and the conjoint tendon are not modelled separately.

Hotspots

1Deep inguinal ring — An opening in the transversalis fascia just above the midpoint of the inguinal ligament, lateral to the inferior epigastric vessels. The cord structures enter the canal here, and an indirect hernia follows them.
2Inguinal ligament — The rolled-under lower border of the external oblique aponeurosis, from the anterior superior iliac spine to the pubic tubercle. It forms the floor of the canal; the femoral vessels pass beneath it.
3Femoral artery — Enters the thigh beneath the inguinal ligament at the mid-inguinal point, halfway between the anterior superior iliac spine and the pubic symphysis; the deep ring lies a little above and lateral to it.
4Femoral vein — Medial to the artery within the femoral sheath. The femoral canal lies immediately medial to it.
5Femoral canal — The medial compartment of the femoral sheath, below the inguinal ligament and bounded medially by the lacunar ligament. A femoral hernia descends here and emerges below and lateral to the pubic tubercle.
6Lateral abdominal wall — External oblique, internal oblique and transversus abdominis, cut to show their layers. Their lower fibres form the anterior wall and the arching roof of the inguinal canal.

Read alongside

The inguinal canal and groin hernia anatomy, open and laparoscopic

More models

Brachial plexus

The brachial plexus from roots to terminal branches: C5–T1 roots, the upper, middle and lower trunks, anterior and posterior divisions, the lateral, posterior and medial cords, and the nerves each gives off.

Open model

DIEP flap

A deep inferior epigastric perforator flap: lower-abdominal skin and fat carried on perforators of the deep inferior epigastric vessels, with the pedicle dissected free of rectus abdominis — the standard autologous breast reconstruction.

Open model

Axilla & breast lymphatics

The pyramidal axilla with its walls and contents, the three levels of nodes relative to pectoralis minor, and the long thoracic, thoracodorsal and intercostobrachial nerves at risk in axillary surgery.

Preview

Start with 20 free questions

Create a free account with Google and go straight into the sample bank, today's Daily Five and your readiness dashboard. No card required.

Start free See pricing