The importance of the size of Hessert's triangle in the etiology of inguinal hernia

Abstract.

The aim of this study was to compare the inguinal area, known as "Hessert's triangle", in patients undergoing surgical treatment for inguinal hernia with the area in fresh cadavers without hernia. The 73 cadavers, which were not fixed in formalin, were examined within 15 h post mortem. A total of 132 measurements were made in these cadavers and compared with 130 measurements in 115 hernia patients. The average age was 44.2 years for patients and 32.7 years for cadavers. The mean height and weight were 1.68 m and 69.9 kg for hernia patients and 1.67 m and 70.0 kg for the cadavers, respectively. The mean area of Hessert's triangle was 8.97 cm² (range 2.28–29.62 cm²) in the hernia patients and 2.95 cm² (range 1.37–5.92 cm²) in the cadavers. This difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). A larger triangle is created by a higher intersections of the internal oblique and transversus muscles and its aponeurosis to the rectus sheath. When these muscles contract, they move toward the inguinal ligament to occlude the triangle, but with a larger triangle, the occlusion is incomplete. Our anatomical measurements verified that the size of Hessert's triangle is an important factor in the etiology of inguinal hernia.