scholarly journals Sacrotuberous Ligament Healing following Surgical Division during Transgluteal Pudendal Nerve Decompression: A 3-Tesla MR Neurography Study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. e0165239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Fritz ◽  
Benjamin Fritz ◽  
A. Lee Dellon
2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (20;3) ◽  
pp. E451-E454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Jones

Pudendal neuralgia (PN) is a result of pudendal nerve entrapment or injury, also called “Alcock syndrome.” Pain that develops is often chronic, and at times debilitating. If conservative measures fail, invasive treatment modalities can be considered. The goal of this case report is to add to a small body of literature that a pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) ablation can be effectively used to treat PN and to show that high resolution MR neurography imaging can be used to detect pudendal neuropathy. Case Presentation: We present a case of a 51-year-old woman with 5 years of worsening right groin and vulva pain. Various medication trials only lead to limited improvement in pain. The first diagnostic right pudendal nerve block was done using 3 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine with 6mg of betamethasone using a transgluteal technique and a target of the right ischial spine; this procedure resulted in ~8 hours of > 50% pain relief. The patient was then referred for MR neurography of the lumbosacral plexus. This study revealed increased signal of the right pudendal nerve at the ischial spine and in the pudendal canal, findings consistent with the clinical picture of PN. Six weeks after the initial block, the patient underwent a second right transgluteal pudendal nerve block, utilizing 3 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine with 40 mg of triamcinolone acetonide; this procedure resulted in ~8 hours of 100% pain relief. Satisfied with these results the patient decided to undergo pudendal nerve PRF ablation for possible long-term relief. For this therapeutic procedure, a right transgluteal approach was again utilized. PRF ablation was performed for 240 seconds at 42° Celsius. Following this ablation the patient reported at least 6 weeks of significant (> 50%) pain relief. Discussion and Conclusion: In this paper we presented a case of successful treatment of PN with PRF ablation and detection of pudendal neuropathy on MR neurography. We believe that transgluteal PRF ablation for PN might be an effective, minimally invasive option for those patients that have failed conservative management. MR neurography employed in this case is not only helpful in confirming the diagnosis of PN but could also be useful in ruling out other causes of pelvic pain, such as genitofemoral neuropathy, endometriosis, adenomyosis, or pelvic mass lesion. To conclude, transgluteal PRF ablation can serve as a viable treatment option for mitigating symptoms of pudendal neuropathy and MR neurography is useful in confirming a clinically suspected diagnosis of PN. Key words: Pelvic pain, pudendal neuralgia, MR neurography, pulsed radiofrequency ablation, transgluteal technique, Alcock canal syndrome


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (21;1) ◽  
pp. E137-E143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephane Ploteau

Background: Several studies have described the course and anatomical relations of the pudendal nerve. Several surgical nerve decompression techniques have been described, but only the transgluteal approach has been validated by a prospective randomized clinical trial. The purpose of this study was to describe the course of the nerve and its variants in a population of patients with pudendal neuralgia in order to guide the surgeon in the choice of surgical approach for pudendal nerve decompression. Objectives: In order to support the choice of the transgluteal approach, used in our institution, we studied the exact topography, anatomical relations, and zones of entrapment of the pudendal nerve in a cohort of operated patients. Study Design: Observational study. Setting: University hospital. Methods: One hundred patients underwent unilateral or bilateral nerve decompression performed by a single operator via a transgluteal approach. All patients satisfied the Nantes criteria for pudendal neuralgia. The operator meticulously recorded zones of entrapment, anatomical variants of the course of the nerve, and the appearance of the nerve in the operative report. Results: One hundred patients and 145 nerves were operated consecutively. Compression of at least one segment of the pudendal nerve (infrapiriform foramen, ischial spine, and Alcock’s canal) was observed in 95 patients. The zone of entrapment was situated at the ischial spine between the sacrospinous ligament (or ischial spine) and the sacrotuberous ligament in 74% of patients. Anatomical variants were observed in 13 patients and 15 nerves. Seven patients presented an abnormal transligamentous course of the nerve (sacrotuberous or sacrospinous). A perineal branch of the fourth sacral nerve to the external anal sphincter was identified in 7 patients. In this population of patients with pudendal neuralgia, the pudendal nerve was stenotic in 27% of cases, associated with an extensive venous plexus that could make surgery more difficult in 25% of cases, and the nerve had an inflammatory appearance in 24% of cases. Limitations: We obviously cannot be sure that the anatomical variants identified in this study can be extrapolated to the general population, as our study population was composed of patients experiencing perineal pain due to pudendal nerve entrapment and their pain could possibly be related to these anatomical variants, especially a transligamentous course of the pudendal nerve. The absence of other prospective randomized clinical trials evaluating other surgical approaches also prevents comparison of these results with those of other surgical approaches. Conclusions: This is the first study to describe the surgical anatomy of the pudendal nerve in a population of patients with pudendal neuralgia. In more than 70% of cases, pudendal nerve entrapment was situated in the space between the sacrospinous ligament and the sacrotuberous ligament. Anatomical variants of the pudendal nerve were also observed in 13% of patients, sometimes with a transligamentous course of the nerve. In the light of these results, we believe that a transgluteal approach is the most suitable surgical approach for safe pudendal nerve decompression by allowing constant visual control of the nerve. Key words: Surgical, operative technique, pudendal, neuralgia, transgluteal approach


2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 1235-1244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avneesh Chhabra ◽  
Allan J Belzberg ◽  
Gedge D Rosson ◽  
Gaurav K Thawait ◽  
M Chalian ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 3720-3731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Beco ◽  
Laurence Seidel ◽  
Adelin Albert

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