Anatomy of a scrotal hernia
Keywords: anatomy, scrotum, inguinal, stallion, hernia
Image size 1200 x 1600 px
The left inguinal canal and vaginal cavity of a newborn Jack (male donkey) viewed from a cranial-oblique aspect i.e. the head of the animal is to the left of this image.
A roll of green plastic about 7 mm in diameter has been placed in the inguinal canal, from the abdomen, through the internal inguinal opening and into the tunica vaginalis, which has been opened. The visceral vaginal tunic (v) is essentially the outer covering of the testicle. The ductus deferens (vas deferens) is indicated by the black arrow emerging into the abdomen from the internal opening of the inguinal canal.
When a scrotal hernia develops, intestines usually occupy the same space as that occupied by the roll of green plastic in this illustration. This is called an "indirect" hernia after nomenclature used in human medicine. In humans, so-called "direct" herniation occurs when the intestines move into the scrotum but lie in the interstitial tissue, outside the tunica vaginalis. "Indirect" herniation is far more common in stallions than "direct" herniation, sometime leading to confusion in veterinary medicine because the term "direct" carries with it an intimation of "simple" or "common".
