The inguinal ligament (), also known as Poupart's ligament or groin ligament, is a band running from the pubic tubercle to the

anterior superior iliac spine The anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) is a bony projection of the iliac bone, and an important landmark of surface anatomy. It refers to the anterior extremity of the iliac crest of the pelvis. It provides attachment for the inguinal ligament, ...

. It forms the base of the

inguinal canal The inguinal canal is a passage in the anterior abdominal wall on each side of the body (one on each side of the midline), which in males, convey the spermatic cords and in females, the round ligament of the uterus. The inguinal canals are lar ...

through which an

indirect inguinal hernia An inguinal hernia or groin hernia is a hernia (protrusion) of abdominal cavity contents through the inguinal canal. Symptoms, which may include pain or discomfort especially with or following coughing, exercise, or bowel movements, are absent ...

may develop.

Structure

The inguinal ligament runs from the anterior superior iliac crest of the ilium to the pubic tubercle of the

pubic bone In vertebrates, the pubis or pubic bone () forms the lower and anterior part of each side of the hip bone. The pubis is the most forward-facing (ventral and anterior) of the three bones that make up the hip bone. The left and right pubic bones ar ...

. It is formed by the external abdominal oblique

aponeurosis An aponeurosis (; : aponeuroses) is a flattened tendon by which muscle attaches to bone or fascia. Aponeuroses exhibit an ordered arrangement of collagen fibres, thus attaining high tensile strength in a particular direction while being vulnerable ...

and is continuous with the fascia lata of the thigh. There is some dispute over the attachments. Structures that pass deep to the inguinal ligament include: *

Psoas major The psoas major ( or ; from ) is a long fusiform muscle located in the lateral lumbar region between the vertebral column and the brim of the lesser pelvis. It joins the iliacus muscle to form the iliopsoas. In other animals, this muscle is e ...

, iliacus, pectineus *

Femoral nerve The femoral nerve is a nerve in the thigh that supplies skin on the upper thigh and inner leg, and the muscles that extend the knee. It is the largest branch of the lumbar plexus. Structure The femoral nerve is the major nerve supplying the ant ...

artery An artery () is a blood vessel in humans and most other animals that takes oxygenated blood away from the heart in the systemic circulation to one or more parts of the body. Exceptions that carry deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary arteries in ...

, and

vein Veins () are blood vessels in the circulatory system of humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are those of the pulmonary and feta ...

Lateral cutaneous nerve of thigh The lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh (also called the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve) is a cutaneous nerve of the thigh. It originates from the dorsal divisions of the second and third lumbar nerves from the lumbar plexus. It passes under t ...

*Lymphatics

Function

The ligament serves to contain soft tissues as they course anteriorly from the trunk to the lower extremity. This structure demarcates the superior border of the

femoral triangle The femoral triangle (or Scarpa's triangle) is an anatomical region of the upper third of the thigh. It is a subfascial space which appears as a triangular depression below the inguinal ligament when the thigh is flexed, abducted and laterally r ...

. It demarcates the inferior border of the inguinal triangle. The midpoint of the inguinal ligament, halfway between the anterior superior iliac spine and pubic tubercle, is the landmark for the femoral nerve. The mid-inguinal point, halfway between the anterior superior iliac spine and the pubic symphysis, is the landmark for the femoral artery. The external iliac arteries pass the inguinal ligament posteriorly and inferiorly.

History

It is also referred to as Poupart's ligament, because

François Poupart François Poupart (1661–1709) French physician, anatomist and entomologist. He described Poupart's ligament, which had been discovered by Gabriele Falloppio. In 1789, botanists published ''Poupartia'' a genus of plants from Islands in the India ...

gave it relevance in relation to hernial repair, calling it "the suspender of the abdomen" (). It is sometimes termed the Fallopian ligament. Colles' ligament is the reflex ligament and not the inguinal ligament.F. Poupart. Chirurgie complète. Paris, 1695.

Additional images

File:Gray319.png, Ligaments of pelvis. Anterior view. File:Gray321.png, File:Gray393.png, The subcutaneous inguinal ring. File:Gray545.png, Femoral sheath laid open to show its three compartments. File:Gray547.png, The relations of the femoral and abdominal inguinal rings, seen from within the abdomen. Right side. File:Gray549.png, The left femoral triangle. File:Gray1036.png, Posterior view of the anterior abdominal wall in its lower half. The peritoneum is in place, and the various cords are shining through. File:Slide1GGGGG.JPG, Inguinal ligament File:Slide12LLLL.JPG, Inguinal ligament

References

External links