Bilateral Phrenic Nerve Palsy Associated With Neuralgic Amyotrophy

TL;DR

This paper reports a rare case of bilateral phrenic nerve palsy linked to neuralgic amyotrophy, causing breathing and swallowing issues.

Contribution

The novelty lies in documenting phrenic nerve palsy as a rare manifestation of neuralgic amyotrophy.

Findings

The patient exhibited phrenic palsy confirmed by chest X-ray and nerve conduction studies.

Symptoms included orthopnea and difficulty slurping, linked to phrenic nerve involvement.

The case highlights the potential for NA to affect the phrenic nerve, a rare occurrence.

Abstract

Neuralgic amyotrophy (NA) is a multifocal inflammatory neuropathy accompanied by acute pain and muscle atrophy. NA commonly affects the upper extremities, but rarely affects the phrenic nerve. Here, we report a male with neck pain, orthopnea, difficulty sleeping in the supine position, and inability to slurp. His saturated oxygen level decreased from 97% to 86% in the supine position. His right shoulder showed muscle atrophy. Chest X-ray examination in the supine position and a nerve conduction study showed phrenic palsy. We diagnosed it as bilateral phrenic nerve palsy associated with NA. NA sometimes causes phrenic nerve palsy and may cause slurping difficulty.

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