Phrenic nerve palsy - Image 1

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Phrenic nerve palsy - Image 1

  • As lung cancers grow there is an increasing risk of complications due to invasion of surrounding tissues
  • This image shows a small mass (nodule) near the right hilum
  • Note the normal position of the right hemi-diaphragm

Phrenic nerve palsy - Image 2

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Phrenic nerve palsy - Image 2

  • The patient was not suitable for surgery and other treatment eventually failed - the mass continued to grow
  • This image (18 months after the image above) shows the mass has reached the hilum and right heart border
  • The raised position of the right hemidiaphragm indicates phrenic nerve palsy - paralysis of the diaphragm due to invasion or compression of the phrenic nerve

Page author: Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust UK (Read bio)

Last reviewed: October 2019