Paralyzed Diaphragm

Diaphragmatic dysfunction may be unilateral or bilateral, with symptoms ranging from dyspnea only on extreme exertion to ventilator dependence. The etiology, treatment, and prognosis are quite different in unilateral and bilateral paralysis. A paralyzed hemidiaphragm may occur in isolation or as part of a systemic disease, whereas bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis usually occurs as a result of a traumatic or neuromuscular degenerative process. This review covers clinical evaluation, investigative studies, and management of diaphragmatic dysfunction. Figures show diaphragmatic motion during respiration, a postoperative radiograph from a 55-year-old woman who underwent left upper lobectomy, a postoperative radiograph of a 70-year-old man who underwent left upper lobectomy for removal of a peripheral 3 cm lesion, three chest radiographs of a 25-year-old man with a residual anterior mediastinal mass after treatment for germ cell tumor, chest radiograph showing left diaphragmatic paralysis in a breast cancer patient with malignant adenopathy involving the left phrenic nerve near the left main pulmonary artery, several parallel rows of sutures placed in the muscular portion and central t