Diagnostic criteria for pudendal neuralgia by pudendal nerve entrapment (Nantes criteria).
OBJECTIVE
The diagnosis of pudendal neuralgia by pudendal nerve entrapment syndrome is essentially clinical. There are no pathognomonic criteria, but various clinical features can be suggestive of the diagnosis. We defined criteria that can help to the diagnosis.


METHODS
A working party has validated a set of simple diagnostic criteria (Nantes criteria).


RESULTS
The five essentials diagnostic criteria are: (1) Pain in the anatomical territory of the pudendal nerve. (2) Worsened by sitting. (3) The patient is not woken at night by the pain. (4) No objective sensory loss on clinical examination. (5) Positive anesthetic pudendal nerve block. Other clinical criteria can provide additional arguments in favor of the diagnosis of pudendal neuralgia. Exclusion criteria are also proposed: purely coccygeal, gluteal, or hypogastric pain, exclusively paroxysmal pain, exclusive pruritus, presence of imaging abnormalities able to explain the symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The diagnosis of pudendal neuralgia by pudendal nerve entrapment syndrome is essentially clinical. There are no specific clinical signs or complementary test results of this disease. However, a combination of criteria can be suggestive of the diagnosis.
Labat
Jean-Jacques
JJ
Service d'Urologie, CHU Hôtel-Dieu, Nantes, France.
Riant
Thibault
T
Robert
Roger
R
Amarenco
Gérard
G
Lefaucheur
Jean-Pascal
JP
Rigaud
Jérôme
J
D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D009407:Nerve Block; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000209:etiology; D010502:Perineum / Q000294:innervation*; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011187:Posture; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology