United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

My diaphragm was paralyzed 14 years ago along with my TBPI, and there were no restorative surgical options available for that specific injury, but now there is.




https://www.uclahealth.org/plasticsurge ... rve-repair

Phrenic Nerve Repair

Innovative new surgery repairs phrenic nerve injury, restores breathing function

The phrenic nerve controls function of the diaphragm muscle - the primary muscle involved in breathing. It tells the diaphragm when to contract, allowing the chest cavity to expand and triggering the inhalation of air into the lungs.

Injury to the phrenic nerve can impair the ability of the nervous system to regulate breathing. It is known risk associated with chest and neck procedures such as coronary bypass surgery (CABG), neck dissection for head and neck cancer, surgery of the lungs, heart valve surgery, surgery of the aorta, thymus gland surgery, carotid-subclavian bypass surgery, and surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. The phrenic nerve can also be injured by epidural injections, interscalene nerve blocks, and even chiropractic manipulation of the neck.

In the past, treatment options for phrenic nerve injury were limited to either nonsurgical therapy or diaphragm plication, neither of which attempts to restore normal function to the paralyzed diaphragm. Patients endured chronic shortness of breath, sleep disturbances, and lower energy levels. They were often told by their physicians that they would simply have to live with it.

Advances in nerve decompression and transplant allow reconstructive plastic surgeons to reverse diaphragm paralysis. The techniques used are derived from the procedures commonly used to treat arm or leg paralysis, which have allowed surgeons to restore function to previously paralyzed muscle groups.

The rarity of the condition often makes it difficult for patients with a phrenic nerve injury to find treatment. The condition is often mis-diagnosed or viewed as insufficiently severe enough to require corrective surgery.

Patients who have undergone phrenic nerve surgery report improvements in their physical and respiratory function, and a reversal of the sleeping difficulties related to diaphragm paralysis.

The Phrenic Nerve Program is a collaboration between Reza Jarrahy, MD at the UCLA Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and Matthew Kaufman, MD at the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, please call (855) 233-3681

If you have been diagnosed with a paralyzed diaphram, you may be a candidate for phrenic nerve repair. In order to expedite your inquiry, please have the following information ready:

• When were you diagnosed with a paralyzed diaphragm (month/year)?
  What side(s) of your diaphragm is paralyzed?
  Did you have surgery or trauma that caused damage to your phrenic nerve?
  Do you experience numbness and/or tingling in your upper extremities?
  When was your most recent SNIFF (Chest Fluoroscopy) test completed?
  When was your most recent Pulmonary Function Test completed?
  Have you had an EMG nerve study completed of your phrenic nerve and diaphragm?

Program Address:
UCLA Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
200 UCLA Medical Plaza, Suite 465
Los Angeles, CA 90095

The Institute for Advanced Reconstruction
at The Plastic Surgery Center
535 Sycamore Avenue
Shrewsbury, NJ 07702



https://www.advancedreconstruction.com/ ... e-program/

Everything in the body is a web. There are many "connected" parts making the whole you.

If the diaphragm is paralyzed (or a portion from one side - right or left) there are several corresponding consequences that will not be addressed by the majority of physicians or specialists. In fact I've seen many world class physicians for exactly this, and not one of them addressed these issues. Maybe because there is not much you can do about it, and they may be attempting to save a patient unwanted stress.

-diaphragm works with the digestive system. Each breath in and out 'massages' the intestines below and assists with the digestion process. A paralyzed diaphragm can result in abnormal constipation, which a life time of could add up to troubled digestive system if not addressed.

-the vagus nerve, part of the gut-brain axis and direct influencer in the autonomic nervous system involving pulse and blood pressure ; fight or flight, runs beside the phrenic nerve down the neck and is stimulated by respiration and diaphragm movement. If one is taking quick and shallow breaths compensating for a nonfunctional diaphragm, heart rate and blood pressure increase via the stimulated vagus nerve which passes through the diaphragm on its way to the intestines and other organs it makes contact with.

-the diaphragm is the dividing force between the abdomen and the chest. If your diaphragm is paralyzed, tying a shoe may be painful, as when one bends down the paralyzed diaphragm muscle can not retain the abdomen organs from pushing into the chest cavity, and breathing will become forcibly diminished.

-an x-ray of paralyzed diaphragm can be mistaken for a lung filled with blood due to the abnormal darkness on one side of the chest cavity where the diaphragm is being pushed upward by the abdomen organs below it.