Abdominal cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (ACNES)

Abdominal cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome is caused by entrapment of an intercostal nerve in a fibrous ring in the rectus abdominis muscle and causes neuropathic pain. It remains an overlooked cause of chronic abdominal wall pain. Carnett’s test is useful to make a diagnosis. An injection of local anaesthetic and corticosteroid combination relieves pain and it is both diagnostic and treatment. This review article describes its pathophysiology, clinical diagnosis and its management. The databases Medline, and Google Scholar were searched using the terms chronic abdominal pain in general, surgical and gynaecological practice. Database were merged and duplicates were removed. The aim of the review is to update the knowledge on this topic in day to day clinical practice.