Efficacy of Dynamic Chest Radiography for Evaluating Surgical Treatment of Diaphragmatic Paralysis

Abstract

Dynamic chest radiography (DCR) is a novel radiographic technique that evaluates the thoracic movement from inspiration to expiration. Here, we report the efficacy of DCR in the surgical treatment of diaphragmatic paralysis. A 60-year-old woman presented with phrenic nerve palsy after anterior mediastinal resection. Subsequent dynamic chest radiography revealed left diaphragmatic paralysis with paradoxical movement of the bilateral diaphragms during breathing. We folded and sutured the flaccid left diaphragm through surgery. We evaluated the postoperative radiographic findings using DCR. Subsequent postoperative DCR revealed improvement in the left diaphragm paralysis with suppressed left lateral diaphragm displacement during breathing.