The lateral umbilical fold is an elevation (on either side of the body) of the peritoneum lining the inner/posterior surface of the lower

anterior abdominal wall In anatomy, the abdominal wall represents the boundaries of the abdominal cavity. The abdominal wall is split into the anterolateral and posterior walls. There is a common set of layers covering and forming all the walls: the deepest being the v ...

formed by the underlying

inferior epigastric artery In human anatomy, the inferior epigastric artery is an artery that arises from the external iliac artery. It is accompanied by the inferior epigastric vein; inferiorly, these two inferior epigastric vessels together travel within the lateral um ...

and

inferior epigastric vein In human anatomy, inferior epigastric vein are 1-2 veins accompanying the inferior epigastric artery. They drain into the external iliac vein just proximal to the inguinal ligament. Additional images File:Gray398.png, The interfoveolar ligame ...

which the peritoneum covers. Superiorly, the lateral umbilical fold ends where the vessels reach and enter the

rectus sheath The rectus sheath (also called the rectus fascia.) is a tough fibrous compartment formed by the aponeuroses of the transverse abdominal, transverse abdominal muscle, and the internal oblique, internal and external oblique muscles. It contains the ...

at the arcuate line of rectus sheath; in spite of the name, the lateral umbilical folds do not extend as far superiorly as the umbilicus. Inferiorly, it extends to just medial to the

deep inguinal ring The inguinal canal is a passage in the anterior abdominal wall on each side of the body (one on each side of the midline), which in males, convey the spermatic cords and in females, the round ligament of the uterus. The inguinal canals are large ...

. Each lateral umbilical fold is situated lateral to the

ipsilateral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

medial umbilical fold The medial umbilical fold is an elevation of the peritoneum (on either side of the body) lining the inner surface of the lower anterior abdominal wall formed by the underlying medial umbilical ligament (the obliterated distal portion of the umbili ...

. Unlike the

median The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...

and

s, the contents of the lateral umbilical fold remain functional after birth.

Clinical significance

The lateral umbilical fold is an important reference site with regards to

hernia A hernia (: hernias or herniae, from Latin, meaning 'rupture') is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. The term is also used for the normal Devel ...

classification. A direct hernia occurs medial to the lateral umbilical fold, whereas an indirect hernia originates lateral to the fold. This latter case is due to the placement of the opening of the

in the space lateral to the lateral umbilical fold, which allows the passage of the

ductus deferens The vas deferens (: vasa deferentia), ductus deferens (: ductūs deferentes), or sperm duct is part of the male reproductive system of many vertebrates. In mammals, spermatozoa are produced in the seminiferous tubules and flow into the epididyma ...

testicular artery The testicular artery (the male gonadal artery, also called the internal spermatic arteries in older texts) is a branch of the abdominal aorta that supplies blood to the testicle. It is a paired artery, with one for each of the testicles. It ...

, and other components of the

spermatic cord The spermatic cord is the cord-like structure in males formed by the vas deferens (''ductus deferens'') and surrounding tissue that runs from the deep inguinal ring down to each testicle. Its serosal covering, the tunica vaginalis, is an exten ...

in men, or the round ligament of the uterus in women.

Additional images

File:Gray539.png, The arteries of the pelvis.

References

External links

* Lateral umbilical fold ** - "Internal surface of the anterior abdominal wall." ** Abdomen {{ligament-stub

Clinical significance

Additional images

See also

References

External links