Do you utilize phrenic nerve EMG in patients with diaphragmatic issues?  

Diaphragm muscle needle EMG is definitely a useful tool to assess patients with suspected respiratory muscle weakness/paralysis. It can differentiate neurogenic from myopathic disorders and it can help with prognostication. However, many providers, including myself, are not very comfortable with "bl...

We do phrenic nerve conduction studies on all prospective lung transplant patients so we are very comfortable with this although there are times this can be difficult. The transplant team needs to know about each hemi-diaphragm which spirometry won't tell you. Ultrasound is probably the best approac...