Man suffering from an inguinal hernia or rupture. A hernia is the protrusion of an organ or tissue out through the wall of the body cavity in which it normally lies. An inguinal hernia occurs in the groin (inguen) when a sac of peritoneum, containing fat or part of the bowel, bulges through one of the inguinal canals. These are openings connecting the abdominal cavity with the scrotum in a male foetus. They provide a route for the descent of the testes into the scrotum, after which they disappear, but remain a weak spot in the abdominal wall. An inguinal hernia may result from physical straining or even from coughing. The best treatment is surgical repair.