Femoral hernias occur when abdominal contents protrude through the femoral ring into the femoral canal. They are more common in females, the elderly, and those who have given birth. Patients often present with groin pain or a lump that is usually irreducible. Treatment involves surgical repair through an open or laparoscopic approach to reduce hernia contents and reinforce the femoral ring with sutures or mesh. Prognosis is generally good, but risks of complications are higher for emergent repairs of incarcerated hernias.

1. Femoral Hernia
Femoral Hernia
Raymond G Buick FRCS

2. Femoral Hernia
A femoral hernia is the protrusion of a viscus
from the abdominal or pelvic cavity, through
the femoral ring into the femoral canal.
The (peritoneal) hernia sac may contain pre-
peritoneal fat, omentum, small bowel, or
other structures.

3. femoral Triangle
Right
Right
lateral
lateral
femoral canal
medial
medial
anteriorly
anteriorly: inguinal ligament
medially
medially: lacunar ligament
(part of the inguinal
ligament)
posteriorly
posteriorly: pectineal line on
the superior ramus of the
pubis
laterally
laterally: femoral vein.
femoral ring

4. incidence
• uncommon
• F>M
• more common in parous
• > 65 years
• 3% of all hernias
• 7% of groin hernia
• nearly 5000 / year in UK

5. presenting symptoms
• Only 50% of patients are aware of
the hernia before strangulation.
• Around 60% present in the
emergency situation
• 49% were emergency repairs and
48% waiting list repairs.
non-acute
non-acute acute - emergency
acute - emergency

6. presenting symptoms
50%
non-acute
non-acute acute - emergency
acute - emergency
50%

7. presenting symptoms
non-acute
non-acute
• pain or discomfort in groin
• groin lump
• mild pain exacerbated by bending or
lifting
• small lump (may be no lump)
• mild tenderness
• usually not reducible

8. presenting symptoms
obstruction
• vomiting
• colicky abdominal pain
• abdominal distension
• constipation
• blood in stools
• lump irreducible
• lump tender
acute - emergency
acute - emergency

9. presenting symptoms
obstruction
• vomiting
• colicky abdominal pain
• abdominal distension
• constipation
• blood in stools
• lump irreducible
• lump tender
acute - emergency
acute - emergency
strangulation
• lump very tender
• skin red / inflamed
• signs of shock

10. difficulties with diagnosis
• 1/3of patients do not complain of
symptoms directly attributable to a
hernia
• a groin lump is not always present.
• obese
• elderly - other diagnoses

11. differential diagnosis
• osteoarthritis
• gastroenteritis
• diverticulitis
• constipation
• inguinal lymph node
• lymphoma
• lymphogranuloma venerium
• femoral artery aneurysm
• saphena varix
• psoas abscess
• psoas bursa
• ectopic testis
• lipoma

12. differential diagnosis
inguinal hernia
inguinal hernia

13. differential diagnosis
inguinal hernia
inguinal hernia
ABOVE and MEDIAL
ABOVE and MEDIAL
to pubic tubercle
to pubic tubercle
femoral hernia
femoral hernia
BELOW and LATERAL
BELOW and LATERAL
to pubic tubercle
to pubic tubercle
pubic tubercle
pubic tubercle
femoral –v- inguinal
femoral –v- inguinal
hernia
hernia

14. FEMORAL INGUINAL
Sex Female male
Age Elderly > 65 years Younger - all ages
children rare common
Males 1 20
Females 1 5
Cough impulse Often absent Usually present
Reducibility Usually not Often is
Shape Globular Pear shaped
Elective Presentation (of
groin hernia) in Male
1%
Elective Presentation (of
groin hernia) in Female
20%
Present persistent intermittent
Strangulation @ 3 mths 22% 3%
Strangulation @21 mths 45% 4.5%

15. investigations
• clinical examination
–experienced clinician can usually distinguish
between Femoral and Inguinal hernia
• always examine the groin in patients
–with intestinal obstruction
–with abdominal pain

16. investigations
• clinical examination
• ultrasound
• MRI
• CT

17. treatment
• Surgical Repair
• Open Surgery or Laparoscopic Surgery
• General Anaesthetic
• Local Anaesthetic and/or Regional Anaesthetic

18. treatment
• Surgical Repair
– Dissection of the sac
– Inspection / reduction of the contents
– Ligation of the sac
– Closure of Femoral Ring
• Approximation of the inguinal and pectineal ligaments
• Mesh patch

19. Surgical Repair
• Open Surgery
• Classically 3 approaches:-
– Lockwood’s infra-inguinal approach
– Lotheissen‘s trans-inguinal approach
– McEvedy’s high approach
– ischaemic bowel – high approach

20. treatment
• Surgical Repair
• Open Surgery or Laparoscopic Surgery
– bladder may be involved in medial part of hernia
sac
– Repair suturing the inguinal ligament to the
pectineal ligament non-absorbable sutures
– avoid any pressure on the femoral vein

21. treatment
Local Anaesthetic
• The iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal nerves (T12 and
L1) supply the lower abdomen. They are blocked by
an injection of local anaesthetic between internal
and external oblique muscles just medial to the
anterior superior iliac spine.
• The genitofemoral nerve (L1,2) supplies inguinal cord
structures and the anterior scrotum via its genital
branch and supplies the skin and subcutaneous
tissues of the femoral triangle via the femoral
branch.

22. treatment
LA or Regional Anaesthetic -Advantages
• With a careful technique, local anaesthesia causes
minimal physiological disturbance
• patients with cardiovascular or respiratory disease
• The absence of postoperative sedation or drowsiness
allows early ambulation and diminishes the
requirement for recovery facilities.
• provides postoperative analgesia for up to four hours
• When adrenaline is mixed with the local anaesthetic
(normally in a dilution of 1:200,000) useful
vasoconstriction is produced resulting in a relatively
bloodless field.

23. treatment
LA or Regional Anaesthetic –Disadvantages
• must be carried out gently.
• Although pain sensation is usually blocked by the
anaesthetic, traction on certain tissues, particularly
the peritoneum, is uncomfortable.
• Larger hernias, particularly those with incarcerated
bowel may prove unsuitable for local anaesthesia.
• Some sedation during the operation may be required
for anxious patients which loses some of the benefits
of avoiding general anaesthesia. Patients who are
excessively nervous may be unsuitable for surgery
under local anaesthesia.

24. treatment
• pre-operative consent - risks/complications
• Wound haematoma
• Wound infection
• when using ‘mesh’ antibiotics are usually given during the operation
• lymph (fluid) may collect under the wound and need to be drained off.
• Nerve damage - several nerves cross the operative field in hernia surgery.
• Some patients develop chronic pain after hernia surgery, probably due to
the pressure from the mesh on the nerves (occurs in about 2% of hernia
repairs).
• Recurrence of the hernia - fortunately recurrence after hernia repair
should be rare (1-5%).

25. treatment
presenting as an emergency
• increased morbidity and mortality
• increased rates of bowel resection
• increased complications
• wound infection
• cardiovascular and respiratory complications
• mortality X20 if bowel resection required (cf
elective repair without bowel resection)

26. prognosis
• The mortality for elective hernia repair is:
• 0.1% below the age of 60
• 0.2% between 60 and 69
• 1.6% between 70 and 79
• 3.3% over the age of 80
• The risk for emergency repair of a
strangulated hernia is 10 times higher and
many patients are 80 years or over.
The overall operative mortality for
strangulated hernia is 10%:

27. prognosis
• generally good
• Other co-existing medical conditions influence
outcome
• recurrence rate low

28. End
End
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