OBJECTIVE: This is a retrospective review of the charts of 10 patients with genitofemoral neuralgia who underwent neurectomy at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center between 1967 and 2000. Operations associated with these neuralgias and postoperative pain outcomes were analyzed.
METHODS: The charts of 10 patients with genitofemoral neuralgias were analyzed retrospectively.
RESULTS: The distribution of the 10 genitofemoral neuralgias with regard to right or left side and sex was found to be equal. L1 and L2 nerve blocks had resulted in a complete or substantial decrease in pain before neurectomy was recommended. Of six iatrogenic injuries (60%), gynecological surgery, including two hysterectomy procedures, resulted in a total of three genitofemoral neuralgias (50%), and vasectomy procedures antedated two nerve injuries (33%). Four (40%) of the 10 patients had injury to the genitofemoral nerve after blunt abdominal trauma. Genitofemoral neurectomy was performed in all genitofemoral neuralgia patients after conservative therapy had failed. This procedure resulted in considerable pain relief in all 10 patients, whether their injury was the result of iatrogenic causes or trauma.
CONCLUSION: Genitofemoral neuralgias are infrequent conditions; however, 10 patients were accrued and analyzed in this study, and most had considerable or complete pain relief after neurectomy.