What is the difference between inguinal and femoral hernias?
Inguinal hernia: occurs when part of your bowel pokes through your lower abdomen into your groin. These are the most common type of hernias. In the United Kingdom, between 2010-11, around 71,000 surgical operations were carried out to repair inguinal hernias.
Types of inguinal hernia:
Femoral hernia: occurs when fatty tissue or a part of your bowel pokes through into your groin at the top of your inner thigh. Femoral hernias are less common than inguinal hernias. Approximately 3,500 femoral repair operations were carried out in the United Kingdom between 2010-11. Around three quarters of cases of femoral hernias occur in women.
Types of inguinal hernia:
- An indirect inguinal hernia is the most common type accounting for eighty per cent of inguinal hernias. It can occur at any age and is more likely to cause pain in the scrotum. A protrusion through the internal inguinal ring passes along the inguinal canal through the abdominal wall. Sometimes the hernial sac may protrude into the scrotum.
- A direct inguinal hernia is more common in older men and rare in children. The hernia protrudes directly through a weakness in the posterior wall of the inguinal canal. It rarely will protrude into the scrotum.
- Combined (pantaloon) hernias occur when direct and indirect hernias occur together.
Femoral hernia: occurs when fatty tissue or a part of your bowel pokes through into your groin at the top of your inner thigh. Femoral hernias are less common than inguinal hernias. Approximately 3,500 femoral repair operations were carried out in the United Kingdom between 2010-11. Around three quarters of cases of femoral hernias occur in women.