Inequity can be seen in a surface and the level of a lane can give a certain style or side an advantage. The patterns run for the PBA allow the topography to stand out. The patterns do not provide much in swing or hold, so we know what the reaction should look like and when we see something different we can make an accurate conclusion on the topography. Wood lanes tend to be the most consistent across a given center. The reason is the sanding equipment does not allow for easy changes from lane to lane.
Most machines have a fixed pattern for making cuts.
But keep in mind there can still be mystery lanes. Synthetic lanes, on the other hand, can be vastly different from lane to lane across a house. See, even though the lanes are synthetic, they are still made of wood in one form or another. The actual surface is made up of sheets of pressed paper with a melamine layer that the ball touches. So the surface can absorb moisture from the air and it can dry out when the air is dry.