J Korean Soc Vasc Surg.  2005 May;21(1):69-72.

Sciatic Nerve Compression in a Patient with Pesistent Sciatic Artery: A Case Report

• Chang CY
• Jang LC

Abstract

The sciatic artery is a major artery of the lower limb during the early embryonic period, which involutes at the third month of embryonic life. The persistent sciatic artery (PSA) is a rare congenital anomaly, which may predispose a subject to atherosclerotic or aneurysmal degeneration. They usually present with leg ischemia or a throbbing buttock mass, but infrequently with a sciatic nerve compression symptom. We report a 56 year- old woman with PSA, who presented with back pain and a sciatic nerve compression symptom, which was erroneously diagnosed as spinal cord compression due to spinal stenosis. She was successfully treated with an above knee femoropopliteal bypass, with a reversed saphenous vein and surgical exclusion of the sciatic artery.

Keyword

Persistent sciatic artery; Anomaly; Sciatic nerve; Compression

MeSH Terms

Aneurysm
Arteries*
Back Pain
Buttocks
Female
Humans
Ischemia
Knee
Leg
Lower Extremity
Saphenous Vein
Sciatic Nerve*
Spinal Cord Compression
Spinal Stenosis