Neuralgic Amyotrophy: A Rare Cause of Bilateral Diaphragmatic Paralysis

Neuralgic amyotrophy, also known as brachial neuritis, is a well described clinical entity. Diaphragmatic dysfunction, as a result of phrenic nerve root involvement (cervical roots 3 to 5), is an uncommon, but increasingly recognized association. The case of a previously healthy 61-year-old woman wh...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Neil Shinder, Alasdair Polson, Elizabeth Pringle, Denis E O'Donnell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1998-01-01
Series:Canadian Respiratory Journal
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1998/926375
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Summary:Neuralgic amyotrophy, also known as brachial neuritis, is a well described clinical entity. Diaphragmatic dysfunction, as a result of phrenic nerve root involvement (cervical roots 3 to 5), is an uncommon, but increasingly recognized association. The case of a previously healthy 61-year-old woman who, after a prodrome of neck and shoulder discomfort, presented with severe orthopnea is described. Pulmonary function and electrophysiological studies led to a diagnosis of bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis. The patient's clinical course and the exclusion of other nerve entrapment syndromes and neurological disorders strongly favoured the diagnosis of neuralgic amyotrophy.
ISSN:1198-2241