Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology

The Korean Society of Clinical Neurophysiology (대한임상신경생리학회)
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Ultrasonographic findings of the normal diaphragm: thickness and contractility

  • Seok, Jung Im (Department of Neurology, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Shin Yeop (Department of Neurology, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine) ;
  • Walker, Francis O. (Department of Neurology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine) ;
  • Kwak, Sang Gyu (Medical Statistics & Informatics, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine) ;
  • Kwon, Doo Hyuk (Department of Neurology, CHA Gumi Medical Center, CHA University)
  • Received : 2017.03.09
  • Accepted : 2017.05.12
  • Published : 2017.07.31
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Abstract

Background: Neuromuscular ultrasound can be used to assess the diaphragm. Before it can be used clinically, the reference ranges of diaphragm thickness and contractility must be determined. Methods: We measured the thickness of the diaphragm and the diaphragmatic thickening fraction (DTF) in 80 healthy volunteers with ultrasound and collected their demographic information to determine if age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) influence these measures. Results: The thickness of the diaphragm at resting end expiration was $0.193{\pm}0.044cm$ on the right side and $0.187{\pm}0.039cm$ on the left. The DTF was $104.8{\pm}50.6%$ on the right side and $114.9{\pm}49.2%$ on the left. Sex, weight, height, and BMI significantly affected the thickness of the diaphragm, but had little effect on the DTF. Conclusions: Normal reference values for the diaphragm should be helpful when evaluating the diaphragm. The DTF appears more useful than resting diaphragm thickness because it is affected less by individual variation.

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References

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