The phrenic nerve provides the primary motor supply to the diaphragm Phrenic nerve conduction study provides a sensitive indicator of phrenic nerve function when the nerve is affected either by local lesions or by generalized neuropathies. Percutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation is an easy and rapid procedure that achieves successful stimulation of the nerve. It is associated with little or no discomfort. Amplitude, latency, area, and duration are measures used to evaluate phrenic nerve integrity. Only limited data has however been published on normative data of phrenic nerve conduction study.
Aim of the work
The aim of this study was to determine normative values of phrenic nerve conduction parameters in healthy population.
Subjects & Methods
• Seventy-three healthy individuals (47 men and 26 women) aged from 18 to 61 years participated in the study.
• Motor conduction studies of the phrenic nerve were performed bilaterally both during inspiration and expiration. The phrenic nerve was stimulated at the posterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle at the level of the cricoid cartilage. Recording was made from both sternal and costal diaphragm.
• Measured parameters were latency, amplitude, area and duration of the diaphragmatic compound muscle action potential )DCMAP( at each recording site. Side-side differences were determined.