[Pudendal nerve surgery in the management of chronic pelvic and perineal pain].
OBJECTIVE
To define the place of pudendal nerve surgery in pudendal nerve entrapment syndromes.


METHODS
Description of the various surgical techniques and published results.


RESULTS
The original surgical technique, which remains the reference technique, consists of performing surgical release of the pudendal nerve from the infrapiriformis foramen to Alcock's canal via a transgluteal approach. This surgical procedure is safe and gives encouraging results validated by a prospective, randomized protocol: 66 to 80% of patients are improved. Other transvaginal or transperineal approaches have also been proposed.


CONCLUSIONS
Pudendal nerve surgery is a reasonable treatment option when all other treatments have failed. However, the various techniques proposed and their respective criticisms must be carefully evaluated.
Service de neurotraumatologie et laboratoire d'anatomie, CHU de Nantes, 44100 Nantes, France.
R
R
Robert
J-J
JJ
Labat
M
M
Khalfallah
J-M
JM
Louppe
T
T
Riant
O
O
Hamel
D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000601:surgery*; D010388:Pelvis / Q000294:innervation; D010502:Perineum