Long-Term Efficacy of Posterior Neurectomy in Anterior Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome.

Objective: To analyze long-term treatment outcomes of a posterior neurectomy in a large cohort of patients with anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (ACNES).
Summary Background Data: The current step-up treatment approach for ACNES involves abdominal wall tender point injections, pulsed radiofrequency, and neurectomy. If an anterior neurectomy fails or pain reoccurs, a posterior neurectomy is considered as a final surgical option. Data on posterior neurectomy treatment outcomes are scarce.
Methods: ACNES patients who underwent a unilateral posterior neurectomy between 2012 and 2022 in a single institution completed a questionnaire regarding their current pain status. Primary outcomes were short- and long-term treatment success, defined as ≥50% pain relief. Patients were stratified whether the operative indication was recurrent pain (>3 months) after an initially successful anterior neurectomy or ongoing pain after an anterior neurectomy.
Results: Data from 260 of 379 patients (77% female, mean age 42 years) were analyzed (68.6% response rate). Sensitivity analysis found that short-term outcomes were similar between responders and non-responders. The recurrent pain group demonstrated significantly better treatment outcomes compared to the ongoing pain group, both in the short-term (7 weeks; treatment success 79.2% vs. 53.2%, p < 0.001) and long-term (58 months; treatment success 61.1% vs. 42.0%, p = 0.001). Sixteen (minor) complications (6.2%) were reported, resulting in three surgical re-interventions (1.2%).
Conclusion: A posterior neurectomy is long-term beneficial in approximately half of patients although treatment success is better for recurrent pain than ongoing pain. These findings aid in optimizing preoperative patient counseling.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2024 ten Have, Jacobs, Scheltinga, Zwaans and Roumen.)