Abstract The sciatic nerve–piriformis relationship varies considerably and can affect the safety of surgery, regional anesthesia, and injections in the gluteal region, yet Korean population–specific mapping remains limited. We dissected formalin-fixed Korean cadavers, classified sciatic nerve–piriformis patterns by the Beaton–Anson system, and used a coccyx-based Cartesian framework to define the nerve’s exit (EXp) and cross (CRp) points while recording nerve width at EXp; sex- and side-related patterns and type-based trajectories were qualitatively compared. The typical pattern (Type A) predominated, whereas atypical patterns (Types B and C) showed a more lateral course of the common fibular component relative to the sciatic or tibial components, with overall distributions similar between sexes and sides; coordinate plots indicated that lateral displacement is characteristic of non-Type-A variants. These findings suggest that, in Koreans, non-Type-A variants may increase vulnerability during total hip procedures and gluteal injections, and the provided coordinate-based maps offer population-specific anatomical guidance to enhance surgical and interventional safety in the gluteal region.
Lee et al. (Wed,) studied this question.