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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Functional and Morphological Assessment of Diaphragm Innervation by Phrenic Motor Neurons
Published on: May 25, 2015
Bilateral isolated phrenic neuropathy causing painless bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis
P T Lin1, P-B Andersson, B J Distad
1Department of Neurology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. perlin@leland.stanford.edu
Abstract:
The authors report four patients with a syndrome of painless bilateral isolated phrenic neuropathy. Electrophysiologic testing demonstrated active denervation restricted to the diaphragm. Long-term recovery was poor. The authors conclude that bilateral isolated phrenic neuropathy is a cause of painless diaphragmatic paralysis distinguishable from immune brachial plexus neuropathy and other neuromuscular disorders with similar clinical presentation.
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