• Md Mahfooz Buksh, Al NaibShahlaSDepartment of Radiology, Heatherwood Hospital, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Ascot, UK., and Ahmad Al Samaraee.
• Department of General Surgery, Craigavon Area Hospital Group Trust: Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Portadown, UK.
• Brit J Hosp Med. 2023 May 2; 84 (5): 1151-15.

AbstractRound ligament varicosity is rare and mainly reported during pregnancy. A systematic review of the literature identified 48 relevant studies reporting a total of 159 cases of round ligament varicosity, 158 of which were associated with pregnancy. Where reported, the mean age of the patients was 30.65 years, and 60.2% were of Asian ethnicity. The laterality of the condition was almost equally distributed, and nearly 50% presented with a painful groin lump. More than 90% of the patients were diagnosed via Doppler ultrasound scan of the affected groin. Conservative management was successful in more than 90% of the patients. Associated maternal complications are rare, with no mortality reported. No fetal complications or loss were reported. Round ligament varicosity can be misdiagnosed as a groin hernia, which may lead to unnecessary surgery during pregnancy. Therefore, increased awareness of this condition among clinicians is important.

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