Proctalgia and pudendal nerve entrapment: an association to know

Abstract

Introduction: Pudendal nerve entrapment (PNE) is a clinical syndrome, little known in the field of General Surgery, which includes a wide range of urinary, sexual and proctological symptoms. The interest for general surgeons lies in the whole clinical study that these patients may present as regards proctology. Complex diagnosis requires a sequential treatment that includes different tools. The aim of this study is to present PNE from the point of view of general surgery by showing a study carried out in patients with proctalgia to assess the results at follow-up after 6 months. Methods: We present an observational study evaluating 53 proctalgia patients in a PNE context who have undergone hydrocortisone puncture of the pudendal nerve, for anesthetic reasons, and its terminal branches, observing its immediate response in clinical terms of pain and in follow-up as from six months. Results: Based on the data obtained from our sample, it may be seen that the treatment with these punctures improves 79.25% of patients in the period immediately after puncture and 39.62% of patients maintain this improvement after the six months. Conclusions: We conclude that in the presence of proctalgia, surgeons should ignore the presence of PNE and that, according to our study, corticosteroid puncture treatment for anesthesia is an effective treatment option that provides relief to a significant percentage of patients.