Phrenic nerve conduction in infancy and early childhood

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Updated: Oct 16, 2026

Functional and Morphological Assessment of Diaphragm Innervation by Phrenic Motor Neurons
09:43

Functional and Morphological Assessment of Diaphragm Innervation by Phrenic Motor Neurons

Published on: May 25, 2015

T Imai1, H Shizukawa, H Imaizumi

  • 1Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, South 1, West 16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-8543, Japan. toimai@sapmed.ac.jp

Muscle & Nerve
|June 8, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Diaphragmatic action potentials (DAPs) in infants show decreasing latencies with age, indicating normal phrenic nerve development. These findings aid in diagnosing phrenic nerve palsy.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pediatrics
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Diaphragmatic action potentials (DAPs) are crucial for assessing respiratory function.
  • Understanding normal DAP development in infants is essential for clinical diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To map DAPs in neurologically normal infants and young children.
  • To establish reference values for DAP latency and amplitude.
  • To evaluate DAPs as indicators of normal phrenic nerve development.

Main Methods:

  • Mapping DAPs on the thorax bilaterally using transcutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation.
  • Recording DAPs in 16 infants and 8 children (1-4 years) during artificial ventilation.
  • Analyzing DAP latency and amplitude in relation to age and conduction distance.

Main Results:

  • DAPs were recorded on the anterolateral chest wall, with peak amplitude in the 7th intercostal space.
  • DAP latencies decreased from 6-8 ms at birth to ~5 ms by 1 year.
  • DAP amplitude showed no correlation with age, and minimal interside variation was observed.

Conclusions:

  • DAP latency decreases with age, reflecting normal phrenic nerve maturation.
  • These findings provide valuable reference data for diagnosing phrenic nerve palsy in children.
  • DAP characteristics serve as indicators of healthy phrenic nerve development.

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