Federal government websites often end in. The site is secure. Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October Learn More or Try it out now. 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. The search involved patients having sexual dysfunction due to pudendal neuralgia. Treatment received was also reported. Five case series, seven cohort studies, two pilot studies, and three randomized clinical trials were included in this systematic review.
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.
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. Normal sexual function in males necessitates libido, initiating and maintaining erection, orgasm, ejaculation, and refractory period 1. Normal sexual function in females includes swelling of the clitoris and labia minora, vaginal lubrication and lengthening, nipple erection, increased genital sensitivity during the arousal and plateau phases, followed by the orgasm 2.
Sexual response involves social, psychological, neurological, vascular, and hormonal processes and is based on both psychological as well as local sexual stimulation, the central nervous system, the peripheral neurovascular system, and hormonal influences 3 , 4. Sexual dysfunctions include persistent genital arousal disorder PGAD , dyspareunia and vulvodynia, and male erectile and ejaculation dysfunction. Many factors contribute to sexual dysfunction in both sexes.
