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Case Report
Inguinal canal endometriosis of the round ligament: A rare case report
1 Mersin City Research and Training Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mersin, Turkey
2 Mersin City Research and Training Hospital, Department of Pathology, Mersin, Turkey
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Yasemin Babacan
Mersin City Research and Training Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mersin,
Turkey
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Article ID: 100241Z08MB2026
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Bakır MS, Babacan Y, Akgündüz Z, Turan H. Inguinal canal endometriosis of the round ligament: A rare case report. J Case Rep Images Obstet Gynecol 2026;12(2):32–36.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Endometriosis is defined as the presence of functional endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. The pelvic organs are most frequently involved, but there are rare reports of extrapelvic sites including bowel, diaphragm, pleura, and inguinal canal. Inguinal endometriosis is a rare disease which may present clinically as other inguinal pathologies especially when involving the round ligament.
Case Report: We describe the case of a 44-year-old woman who has been experiencing episodic, cyclical right groin pain for a period of two years. Transabdominal ultrasonography revealed a 16 mm solid hypoechoic mass in the right inguinal region, and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a nodular lesion along the right round ligament containing focal T1-hyperintense hemorrhagic foci. Because the cyclical pain persisted after dienogest had to be discontinued for migraine, and because imaging remained suggestive but not diagnostic, complete surgical excision was performed. Histopathological examination confirmed endometriosis of the round ligament. At six months of follow-up the patient was free of symptoms with no evidence of recurrence.
Conclusion: Inguinal canal endometriosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of inguinal masses and groin pain in women of reproductive age. Surgical excision remains the gold standard for both diagnosis and treatment.
Keywords: Endometriosis, Extrapelvic endometriosis, Inguinal canal, Round ligament
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Author Contributions
Mehmet Sait Bakır - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Drafting the article, Final approval of the version to be published
Yasemin Babacan - Drafting the article, Final approval of the version to be published
Zelal Akgündüz - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Drafting the article, Final approval of the version to be published
Hasan Turan - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Final approval of the version to be published
Guaranter of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2026 Mehmet Sait Bakır et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
