Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jul;33(3):178-83.
doi: 10.14366/usg.14010. Epub 2014 Mar 3.

Ultrasonographic diagnosis of ovary-containing hernias of the canal of Nuck

Dal Mo Yang  1 , Hyun Cheol Kim, Sang Won Kim, Sung Jig Lim, Seung Jin Park, Joo Won Lim
Affiliations

Ultrasonographic diagnosis of ovary-containing hernias of the canal of Nuck

Dal Mo Yang et al. Ultrasonography. 2014 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the ultrasonographic findings of ovary-containing hernias of the canal of Nuck.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 22 hernia cases of the canal of Nuck. The following gray scale and color Doppler ultrasonographic features were analyzed: the site and the size of the hernia, the texture of the hernia contents, and the presence or absence of blood flow in the hernia contents.

Results: All of the patients had swelling of the right inguinal region (n=10), left inguinal region (n=8), or both (n=2). On ultrasonography, the hernias appeared as either solid masses (n=17) or solid masses containing cysts (n=5). The mean anteroposterior diameter of the hernia sac of the canal of Nuck was 9.1 mm (range, 5 to 18 mm). The mean anteroposterior diameters of the hernia sac were 11.6 mm (range, 7.6 to 18 mm) for hernias containing an ovary, and 8.3 mm (range, 5 to 13 mm) for hernias containing omental fat. During surgery, among the 17 cases with solid-appearing hernia contents on ultrasonography, omental fat was identified in the hernia sac in four cases, but no structure was identified in 13 cases. All five cases that appeared as solid masses containing cysts on ultrasonography contained ovary tissue in the hernia sac. Among the four cases of ovary-containing hernias, color Doppler ultrasonography identified blood flow within the ovary in three cases, but no flow signal was seen in one case of incarcerated hernia.

Conclusion: Ultrasonography may be helpful for the diagnosis of ovary-containing hernias of the canal of Nuck by detecting solid masses containing small cysts.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Omental fat-containing hernia of the canal of Nuck in a 45-month-old girl.
Longitudinal gray scale ultrasonography shows an ovoid, heterogeneously hyperechoic, solid mass in the right inguinal area (arrow), which was found to be omental fat on operation.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Ovary-containing hernia of the canal of Nuck in a 3-month-old girl.
A. Longitudinal gray scale ultrasonography shows an ovoid, solid mass containing cysts in the right inguinal area (arrow). B. On color Doppler ultrasonography, blood flow is seen in the mass (arrow).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Ovary-containing hernia of the canal of Nuck in a 1-month-old girl.
A. Longitudinal gray scale ultrasonography shows an ovoid, solid mass containing cysts in the right inguinal area (arrow), which extends to the abdominal cavity through the neck of the canal of Nuck (thin arrows). B. On color Doppler ultrasonography, blood flow is seen in the mass (arrow).
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. An incarcerated ovary-containing hernia of the canal of Nuck in a 4-month-old girl.
A. Longitudinal gray scale ultrasonography shows an ovoid, hypoechoic mass with internal tiny cysts (arrow). B. Longitudinal color Doppler ultrasonography shows no blood flow within the mass (arrow). C. Photomicrography shows hemorrhagic necrosis of the ovary. Hemorrhagic necrosis of the peripheral follicles is seen (arrows) (H&E, ×20).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Yigit H, Tuncbilek I, Fitoz S, Yigit N, Kosar U, Karabulut B. Cyst of the canal of Nuck with demonstration of the proximal canal: the role of the compression technique in sonographic diagnosis. J Ultrasound Med. 2006;25:123–125. - PubMed
    1. Park SJ, Lee HK, Hong HS, Kim HC, Kim DH, Park JS, et al. Hydrocele of the canal of Nuck in a girl: ultrasound and MR appearance. Br J Radiol. 2004;77:243–244. - PubMed
    1. Bronsther B, Abrams MW, Elboim C. Inguinal hernias in children: a study of 1,000 cases and a review of the literature. J Am Med Womens Assoc. 1972;27:522–525. - PubMed
    1. Cascini V, Lisi G, Di Renzo D, Pappalepore N, Lelli Chiesa P. Irreducible indirect inguinal hernia containing uterus and bilateral adnexa in a premature female infant: report of an exceptional case and review of the literature. J Pediatr Surg. 2013;48:e17–e19. - PubMed
    1. Fowler CL. Sliding indirect hernia containing both ovaries. J Pediatr Surg. 2005;40:e13–e14. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources