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What a diagnostic pudendal nerve block actually tells us — Patient questions

Medically reviewed by Dr Renaud Bollens — Professor of Urology

Patient questions

The questions patients ask us most often about pudendal nerve block — answered directly, without hedging.

An image-guided pudendal nerve block places local anaesthetic precisely around the nerve. If the pain drops substantially for the duration of the anaesthetic, that is powerful evidence the pudendal nerve is generating the pain.

A block is a diagnostic instrument first and a treatment second. Temporary relief is useful information; lasting relief is a bonus. Either way the response shapes what happens next.

Dr Bollens uses block response, symptom mapping and imaging together. Surgery is only recommended when those three lines of evidence agree — which is why we decline to operate on some patients who come to us expecting it.

Send your questions to our team and a coordinator replies within one business day, in strict confidence.