Inguinal triangle
Region of the abdominal wall in humans
title: "Inguinal triangle" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["abdomen", "medical-mnemonics"] description: "Region of the abdominal wall in humans" topic_path: "general/abdomen" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inguinal_triangle" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Region of the abdominal wall in humans ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox anatomy"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Inguinal triangle |
| Latin | trigonum inguinale |
| Image | Inguinal triangle.png |
| Caption | Internal (from posterior to anterior) view of right inguinal area of the male pelvis. |
Inguinal triangle is labeled in green. The three surrounding structures: inferior epigastric vessels: Run from upper left to center. inguinal ligament: Runs from upper right to bottom left. rectus abdominis muscle: Runs from upper left to bottom left, labeled rectus at upper left. | | Image2 | Inguinal triangle, external view.png | | Caption2 | External view.
Inguinal triangle is labeled in green. Borders: inferior epigastric artery and vein: labeled at center left, and run from upper right to bottom center. inguinal ligament: not labeled on diagram, but runs a similar path to the inguinal aponeurotic falx, labeled at bottom. rectus abdominis muscle: runs from upper left to bottom left. | ::
| Name = Inguinal triangle | Latin = trigonum inguinale | Image = Inguinal triangle.png | Caption = Internal (from posterior to anterior) view of right inguinal area of the male pelvis.
Inguinal triangle is labeled in green. The three surrounding structures: inferior epigastric vessels: Run from upper left to center. inguinal ligament: Runs from upper right to bottom left. rectus abdominis muscle: Runs from upper left to bottom left, labeled rectus at upper left. | Image2 = Inguinal triangle, external view.png | Caption2 = External view.
Inguinal triangle is labeled in green. Borders: inferior epigastric artery and vein: labeled at center left, and run from upper right to bottom center. inguinal ligament: not labeled on diagram, but runs a similar path to the inguinal aponeurotic falx, labeled at bottom. rectus abdominis muscle: runs from upper left to bottom left. | Precursor = | System = | Artery = | Vein = | Nerve = | Lymph = In human anatomy, the inguinal triangle is a region of the abdominal wall. It is also known by the eponym Hesselbach's triangle, after Franz Kaspar Hesselbach.
Structure
It is defined by the following structures:
- Medial border: Lateral margin of the rectus sheath.
- Superolateral border: Inferior epigastric vessels.
- Inferior border: Inguinal ligament.
This can be remembered by the mnemonic RIP (Rectus sheath (medial), Inferior epigastric artery (lateral), Poupart's ligament (inguinal ligament, inferior).
Clinical significance
The inguinal triangle contains a depression referred to as the medial inguinal fossa, through which direct inguinal hernias protrude through the abdominal wall.
History
The inguinal triangle is also known as Hesselbach's triangle, after Franz Kaspar Hesselbach.
References
References
- Courtney M. Townsend Jr., MD, R. Daniel Beauchamp, MD, B. Mark Evers, MD and Kenneth L. Mattox, MD. (2008). "Sabiston Textbook of Surgery". Elsevier.
- Cureton, Elizabeth L.. (2009-01-01). "Chapter 55 - Inguinal Hernia". Mosby.
- MedNote. Red Anatomy. URL: [http://www.mednote.co.kr/Rednote/RedAnatom.htm http://www.mednote.co.kr/Rednote/RedAnatom.htm] {{Webarchive. link. (2006-04-23 . Accessed December 15, 2005.)
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