A 32-year-old male is admitted to the emergency department with groin pain. Examination reveals that the patient has an indirect inguinal hernia. Which of the following nerves is compressed by the herniating structure in the inguinal canal to give the patient pain?

An indirect inguinal hernia occurs when a loop of bowel enters the spermatic cord through the deep inguinal ring (lateral to the inferior epigastric vessels). The ilioinguinal nerve runs with the spermatic cord to innervate the anterior portion of the scrotum and proximal parts of the genitals and could readily be compressed during an indirect inguinal hernia. The other nerves listed are not likely to be compressed by the hernia. The Iliohypogastric nerve innervates the skin of the suprapubic region. The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve innervates the skin over the lateral thigh. The subcostal nerve innervates the band of skin superior to the iliac crest and inferior to the umbilicus. The pudendal nerve innervates the musculature and skin of the perineum.