Expansion
Inguinal ligament in front, pectineal ligament behind, lacunar ligament medially, femoral vein laterally
Expansion
The femoral canal is the medial compartment of the femoral sheath. Its opening, the femoral ring, is bounded by:
- Anteriorly - inguinal ligament
- Posteriorly - pectineal (Cooper’s) ligament and pectineus
- Medially - lacunar (Gimbernat’s) ligament
- Laterally - the femoral vein
Contents are fat, lymphatics and Cloquet’s node. Its function is to give the femoral vein room to distend.
Three of the four boundaries are unyielding ligament or bone, so any hernia entering the canal is quickly constricted. Femoral hernias are commoner in women (a wider pelvis and larger ring) and carry a high risk of strangulation.
Remember the mnemonic for the femoral sheath from lateral to medial: NAVEL, Nerve, Artery, Vein, Empty space, Lymphatics, though the nerve lies outside the sheath.