ABSTRACT
The prevalence of chronic pain after vasectomy varies between studies from 5 to 15 percent. There is no single entity “chronic pain after surgery,” it may present with several different types of pain syndrome. Even one operation, such as open thoracotomy, can cause chronic pain in several different ways; the surgeon has to either resect a piece of rib or spread the ribs in order to gain access to the chest. Clearly, the mechanisms involved in the etiology of chronic pain are complex and any operation has the potential to cause chronic pain, but changes in the nervous system are probably the most important factor. Neuropathic pain has many etiologies and mechanisms. Nerve injury, such as transection, constriction, will obviously cause structural and functional changes. However, it is important to appreciate that injury to other tissues changes the pain system as well. Pain after limb amputation was undoubtedly the first of all the postsurgical pain syndromes to be recognized.
