Ultrasonography of inguinal hernia
Author:
Mikael Häggström [notes 1]
Contents
Planning
In Swedish practice, an inguinal bulge is evaluated within 2 months unless there's significant pain.[notes 2]
In strong abdominal pain, a suspected strangulated hernia indicates surgery without previous ultrasound, whereas an unclear diagnosis indicates abdominal CT.
Evaluation
File:Ultrasonography of inguinal hernia (annotated).jpg
Ultrasound of an indirect hernia containing fat, with testicle seen at right.
Without and with Valsalva maneuver.[1] Preferably also in standing.[1]
Further workup if detected
If an inguinal hernia is detected:
- Size with and without provocation (Valsalva maneuver and/or standing)
- Content, merely fat, or also intestines
- Ability to reduce by pressure
If the hernia is not clearly within the inguinal canal, check if it lies medially to the inferior epigastric vessels, since it is then classified as a direct hernia.
Further workup if not detected
If the pain location may suggest it, also consider performing an Ultrasonography of femoral hernia and/or Ultrasonography of hydronephrosis.
Notes
- ↑ For a full list of contributors, see article history. Creators of images are attributed at the image description pages, seen by clicking on the images. See Radlines:Authorship for details.
- ↑ NU Hospital Group, Sweden
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