Dyspnoea during generalised spasms in tetraplegic patients

Dyspnoea during generalised spasms is reported in three tetraplegic patients. Intraoesophageal electromyographic evidence strongly suggests that the dyspnoea is a result of diaphragmatic spasms. Utilisation of this EMG technique in other tetraplegic patients may add to our knowledge of variations in the distribution of the phrenic nerve nucleus within the spinal cord.