Pudendal Neuralgia: Making Sense of a Complex Condition

Purpose of Review: Clinicians have become increasingly aware of pudendal neuralgia as a cause of persistent genital pain. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge regarding the presentation, etiology, evaluation, and management of this condition. Recent Findings: Pudendal neuralgia can be reliably diagnosed and successfully managed. There are many available treatments that can lead to marked improvement and normalization of quality of life in the majority of patients. Most treatments can be instituted and managed by primary care physicians with a small percentage requiring the expertise of specialists for advanced treatment approaches, such as neuromodulation or surgical decompression. Summary: Pudendal neuralgia is a persistent neuropathic pain condition with alteration of the pudendal nerve structure and/or function. It can present with mild, moderate, or severe pain and be disabling. At times, it is a component of overlapping persistent pain conditions. Most patients can be successfully managed without surgical intervention. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.