Adam L. Bartret led a radiological study testing whether variant sciatic nerve routes near the piriformis muscle were associated with piriformis syndrome. The researchers classified anatomy on 783 hip magnetic resonance imaging studies and compared recorded clinical diagnoses. Variants occurred in about 19% of hips, with no statistically significant diagnostic association in this cohort.[ref]
The study illustrates the distinction between identifying an anatomical variant and showing that it causes pain. A visible difference can be incidental; conversely, this observational result does not establish that every possible compression mechanism is absent.
Portrait of Adam L. Bartret
. Identified Stanford radiology residency portrait. Source. New to topics? Read the docs here!