Four "fine" messages from four kinds of "fine" forgotten ligaments of the anterior abdominal wall: have you heard their voices?

Abstract

On the posterior aspect of the anterior abdominal wall, there are four kinds of "fine" ligaments. They are: the round ligament of the liver, median umbilical ligament (UL), a pair of medial ULs, and a pair of lateral ULs. Four of them (the round ligament, median UL, and paired medial ULs) meet at the umbilicus because they originate from the contents of the umbilical cord. The round ligament of the liver originates from the umbilical vein, the medial ULs from the umbilical arteries, and the median UL from the urachus. These structures help radiologists identify right-sided round ligament (RSRL) (a rare, but surgically important normal variant), as well as to differentiate groin hernias. The ligaments can be involved in inflammation; moreover, tumors can arise from them. Unique symptoms such as umbilical discharge and/or location of pathologies relating to their embryology are important in diagnosing their pathologies. In this article, we comprehensively review the anatomy, embryology, and pathology of the "fine" abdominal ligaments and highlight representative cases with emphasis on clinical significance.