ABSTRACT
Chronic anal pain is difficult to diagnose and treat, especially with no obvious anorectal cause apparent on clinical examination. This review identifies 3 main diagnostic categories for chronic anal pain: local causes, functional anorectal pain, and neuropathic pain syndromes. Conditions covered within these categories include proctalgia fugax, levator ani syndrome, pudendal neuralgia, and coccygodynia. The signs, symptoms, relevant diagnostic tests, and main treatments for each condition are reviewed.
- Copyright © 2022 The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
- Charles H. Knowles, PhD, FRCS, FACCRS (Hons)⇑
- Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Cleveland Clinic London, UK; Professor of Surgery, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK; Professor of Experimental Therapeutics, University College London; Hon. Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, St Marks Hospital, London, UK; Hon. Professor of Colorectal Surgery, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Address:
Charles H. Knowles, PhD, FRCS, FACCRS (Hons), Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Blizard Institute, 4 Newark St, London E1 2AT; c.h.knowles{at}qmul.ac.uk
- Richard C. Cohen, MD, FRCS
ABSTRACT
Chronic anal pain is difficult to diagnose and treat, especially with no obvious anorectal cause apparent on clinical examination. This review identifies 3 main diagnostic categories for chronic anal pain: local causes, functional anorectal pain, and neuropathic pain syndromes. Conditions covered within these categories include proctalgia fugax, levator ani syndrome, pudendal neuralgia, and coccygodynia. The signs, symptoms, relevant diagnostic tests, and main treatments for each condition are reviewed.
- Copyright © 2022 The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
