Safety and efficacy of ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve blocks for treatment of pelvic pain

To assess the safety and efficacy of ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve blocks for patients with lower abdominal wall pain in a gynaecology setting. A retrospective chart review of 131 patients who received ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve blocks at a tertiary referral centre for pelvic pain between 1 January 2012 and 13 July 2017 was performed. Patient demographics, history, examination findings and block data were extracted. Chi-square and Mann–Whitney U tests explored differences in patient characteristics between patients with and without effective response to their initial ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve block. A total of 465 ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve blocks were performed among patients. The effect of the initial block was available for 99 out of 131 patients. Of these patients, 70% (n？=？69) reported a great improvement in pain, 9% (n？=？9) some improvement in pain, 18% (n？=？18) no response and 3% (n？=？3) worsening of pain. A significantly greater number of patients who were not responsive to their first block reported unilateral pain (p？=？0.040) and had a history of vulvodynia (p？=？0.038) when compared to patients who were responsive to their first block. Seven patients (5%) reported minor adverse events related to blocks. Ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve blocks provide pain relief for those with pelvic pain localized to the lower abdominal wall, with a low rate of minor adverse events