Crossing the canal: Looking beyond hernias - Spectrum of common, uncommon and atypical pathologies in the inguinal canal

Inguinal canal can have diverse range of pathologies due to its complex anatomy and multiple different contents in the males and females. Imaging plays a dominant role in the appropriate diagnosis and management as inguinal pathologies have fairly similar clinical presentation with pain and swelling. Various pathologies in the inguinal region include congenital, infectious/inflammatory, vascular, neoplastic and iatrogenic. This paper gives an overview of the role of various modalities like Ultrasound, CT and MRI in the evaluation of inguinal pathologies.