Nerve entrapment after Pfannenstiel incision.

In a 16-month period, nine cases of iliohypogastric nerve entrapment were diagnosed in patients who had undergone a Pfannenstiel incision. Three patients experienced total relief with nerve blocks alone; four patients required surgical interruption of the iliohypogastric nerve to attain total relief; two patients received significant symptomatic relief with injection and desired no further treatment. The presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of entrapment of the iliohypogastric nerve as a complication of the Pfannenstiel incision are presented and discussed.