Piriformis syndrome--an attempt to understand its pathology.

Objective: Gross anatomy of the hip rotators and histology of the sciatic nerves in adult cadavers were studied, aiming to the identification of possible pathologic changes related to the piriformis syndrome (PS).

Material: 50 cadavers were dissected; in 17 cases with macroscopical findings the sciatic nerves were harvested (34 sciatic nerves; 17 cadavers). History of low back or leg pain was not available.