Abstract
Henle’s ligament was first described by German physician and anatomist, Friedrich Henle, in 1871. This review article will cover Henle’s original description of the ligament, historical changes in terminology, embryological studies of the ligament, and the clinical significance of Henle’s ligament. This article has a particular focus on the variation in the terminology of this structure and the implications of this.
Highlights
BackgroundScientific advancements of 19th century Europe were driven by the philosophies developed during The Enlightenment
When Henle first described the ligament (Figure 1) that would eventually carry his name in his 1871 work, Handbuch der Systematischen Anatomie des Menschen, the pelvis was in its fledgling days of being studied [1]
The terminology associated with the lateral wall of the rectus sheath has a complicated history
Summary
Scientific advancements of 19th century Europe were driven by the philosophies developed during The Enlightenment. The fourth and most recent edition of "Surgical Anatomy and Technique" published in 2013 reaffirms the original 1989 Skandalakis et al proposition of describing the region as the conjoined area and follows their 1999 postulation that the terms "Henle’s ligament" and "falx inguinalis" be used synonymously to describe the insertion at the pecten pubis of the lateral and vertical extensions of the rectus sheath [15]. These once commonplace techniques were relatively abandoned after better outcomes using a mesh were demonstrated in the early 2000s [26] This correlates with Skandalakis et al.’s 1989 assertion that misnamed structures of the region, i.e., conjoined tendon versus falx inguinalis versus Henle’s ligament, were commonplace, and surgeons believed they should be seeing these structures and suturing through them in cases of direct inguinal hernia repair [9]. Similar to the repair of an inguinal hernia, a mesh is sutured to the area to provide additional support [30]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
