THE CRURAL REGION. 187 



The coverings of a crural hernia are sac, subserous 

 areolar tissue, septum crurale, sheath of vessels, cribri- 

 form fascia, superficial fascia, and integuments. 



The seat of stricture may either be the sac itself, or 

 the junction of the falciform process with Gimbernat's 

 ligament, or the outer margin of the opening ; and in 

 dividing the obstruction, the incision is to be made up- 

 wards and inwards. 



An irregular course of the obturator artery bears a 

 very important relation to the crural ring, should it 

 arise by a common trunk with the deep epigastric, and 

 when it courses along the border of Gimbernat's liga- 

 ment, in order to gain the thyroid foramen. In this 

 case the neck of the hernia would be surrounded by an 

 arterial ring, and in an operation for the relief of stran- 



7 



Irregular course of obturator artery. 



gulation, might run great risk of being wounded. Prac- 

 tically, however, it would probably recede, unless the 

 knife were roughly pushed past the posterior aspect of 

 the ring. 



