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The clinical anatomy of the triangle of Petit

  • Applied Anatomy
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Abstract

Introduction

Hernias through the triangle of Petit (TP) are uncommon. The anatomy of the TP is known to be variable, yet quantitative data are scant.

Materials and methods

The triangle was observed in 80 adult cadavers and its dimensions and surface area were measured.

Results

On the basis of surface area we classified the triangles into four types. Type I or small TP, with a surface area of <8 cm2, accounted for 43.7% of our specimens. Type II (26.2%) were intermediate in size, with a surface areas of 8–12 cm2. Type III (12.5%) were large triangles with surface areas >12 cm2. Finally, Type IV (17.5%) were not triangles. In these, the latissimus dorsi was covered by the external abdominal oblique muscle.

Conclusions

We hope these data will help prediction of which patients are at greater risk of herniation through the TP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies

    M. Loukas, A. El-Sedfy, A. Jester, S. Polepalli, C. Kinsela & S. Wu

  2. Department of Education, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    M. Loukas

  3. Department of Cell Biology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA

    R. S. Tubbs

  4. Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children’s Hospital, 1600 7th Avenue South ACC 400, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA

    R. S. Tubbs

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  1. M. Loukas
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  2. R. S. Tubbs
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  3. A. El-Sedfy
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  4. A. Jester
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  5. S. Polepalli
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  6. C. Kinsela
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  7. S. Wu
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Correspondence to R. S. Tubbs.

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Loukas, M., Tubbs, R.S., El-Sedfy, A. et al. The clinical anatomy of the triangle of Petit. Hernia 11, 441–444 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-007-0232-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10029-007-0232-5

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