CTICasesPhrenic Nerve Injury (Left Hemidiaphragm Paralysis) with Crus Atrophy secondary to Spinal Cord Emboli during Aortic Stent Graft Placement
▶ Watch on YouTube — age-restricted, cannot embed here
Imaging findings
Chest radiographs demonstrate new onset of left hemidiaphragm elevation following endovascular stent graft placement for traumatic aortic injury. CT shows atrophy and thinning of the left diaphragmatic crus compared to the right. MRI of the spine shows T2 hyperintensities in the cervical spinal cord (C4-C5 downwards), suggestive of emboli.
Key takeaways
Phrenic nerve injury can result in hemidiaphragm paralysis and ipsilateral crus atrophy, leading to hemidiaphragm elevation. In this case, the injury is suspected to be secondary to spinal cord emboli affecting the phrenic nerve roots (C3-C5) during aortic stent graft placement, highlighting a rare iatrogenic neurological complication.
AI-assisted summary — may contain errors. Verify against the source video. Learn more
More from this webinar
- Coronary Artery Aneurysms in Ulcerative ColitisVascular
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) with Chronic Respiratory FailureOther
- Mediastinal Metastasis from Breast Cancer simulating Thymic ReboundNeoplastic
- Right Ventricular Lead PerforationIatrogenic
- Aortic Annulus Rupture during TAVIIatrogenic
- Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor (Inflammatory Pseudotumor)Inflammatory
- Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD) isolated to Native LungNeoplastic
- Pleural Lymphoma with Post-Treatment CalcificationNeoplastic
See all cases from June 2, 2016 →