Ultrasound appears to be a reliable technique for the diagnosis of piriformis syndrome.

INTRODUCTION

Piriformis muscle syndrome (PS) is a disorder encompassing a constellation of symptoms, including buttock and hip pain. In this study we aimed to assess the value of ultrasound (US) in the diagnosis of PS.

METHODS

Thirty-three clinically diagnosed PS patients and 26 healthy volunteers underwent a clinical PS scoring examination and US and MRI assessment of the bilateral piriformis muscles. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) of the US parameters (i.e., increased thickness [iTh] and increased cross-sectional area [iCSA]) for piriformis muscle were evaluated.

RESULTS

On US and MRI, the thickness and CSA were increased in PS patients. The AUROCs for the iTh and iCSA for discriminating stage 0 (healthy volunteers) from stage 1 through stage 3 (PS patients) were 0.88 and 0.95, respectively.

DISCUSSION: US may be a reliable technique for the clinical diagnosis of PS. Muscle Nerve 59:411-416, 2019.