Diaphragmatic paralysis evaluated by phrenic nerve stimulation during fluoroscopy or real-time ultrasound.
Stimulation of the phrenic nerve by applying an electrical impulse to the neck during fluoroscopy or real-time ultrasound (sonoscopy) of the diaphragm allows more precise functional evaluation than fluoroscopy and/or sonoscopy alone. This is especially true of patients who are unable to cooperate because they are on a ventilator, unconscious, or very young. The authors cite cases in which diaphragmatic paralysis was diagnosed by conventional methods but stimulation of the phrenic nerve demonstrated good diaphragmatic motion, leading to a change in prognosis in some cases and a change in therapy in others.
D000328:Adult; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010791:Phrenic Nerve; D012133:Respiratory Paralysis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D014463:Ultrasonography