A 45-year-old woman has a right-sided inguinal hernia that passes through the deep inguinal ring, travels the length of the inguinal canal, and exits through the superficial inguinal ring. This type of hernia is classified as:

• A Direct inguinal hernia
• B Femoral hernia
• C Spigelian hernia
• D Indirect inguinal hernia ✓

Explanation

An indirect inguinal hernia exits the abdominal cavity through the deep (internal) inguinal ring, which is lateral to the inferior epigastric vessels, and traverses the inguinal canal covered by all three layers of the spermatic cord (internal spermatic fascia, cremasteric fascia, external spermatic fascia). It passes through the superficial (external) inguinal ring and may descend into the scrotum. A direct hernia, by contrast, pushes through Hesselbach's triangle medial to the inferior epigastric vessels, not through the deep ring.

Reference: BD Chaurasia's Human Anatomy, 8th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.