Background: The pudendal nerve is considered as the main nerve of sexuality. Pudendal neuralgia is an underdiagnosed disease in clinical practice. The aim of this systematic review is to highlight the role of pudendal neuralgia on sexual dysfunction in both sexes.Methods: A PubMed search was performed using the following keywords: "Pudendal" AND "Sexual dysfunction" or "Erectile dysfunction" or "Ejaculation" or "Persistent sexual arousal" or "Dyspareunia" or "Vulvodynia". The search involved patients having sexual dysfunction due to pudendal neuralgia. Treatment received was also reported.Results: Five case series, seven cohort studies, two pilot studies, and three randomized clinical trials were included in this systematic review. Pudendal nerve and/or artery entrapment, or pudendal neuralgia, is a reversible cause of multiple sexual dysfunctions. Interventions such as anesthetic injections, neurolysis, and decompression are reported as potential treatment modalities. There are no studies describing the role of pudendal canal syndrome in the pathophysiology or treatment of delayed ejaculation or penile shortening.Discussion: Pudendal neuralgia is an underestimated yet important cause of persistent genital arousal, erectile dysfunction (ED), premature ejaculation (PE), ejaculation pain, and vulvodynia. Physicians should be aware of this entity and examine the pudendal canal in such patients before concluding an idiopathic cause of sexual dysfunction.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of laparoscopic transperitoneal pudendal decompression in the improvement of refractory lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in young males presenting with clinical features of pudendal nerve entrapment with no known comorbidities that could explain their LUTS.
Methods
This is a prospective pilot study involving patients suffering from LUTS refractory to standard treatment and clinical features of pudendal nerve entrapment on physical examination. They underwent laparoscopic transperitoneal pudendal decompression. International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and maximal flow (Qmax) on uroflowmetry were evaluated before and 3 months after the procedure.
Results
Five male patients aged 34 ± 4 years were recruited. The median IPSS differed significantly before and 3 months after the procedure (18 vs 8, P = .042); likewise, median Qmax differed significantly before and 3 months after the procedure (12 vs 18 mL/s, P = .042).
Conclusion
Pudendal nerve entrapment syndrome should be considered as a main differential diagnosis for refractory LUTS in young males with no other comorbidities. When clinical features of pudendal nerve entrapment are present, laparoscopic transperitoneal pudendal decompression relieves LUTS in these young males.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.