Cervical spondylosis as a possible hidden reason beyond delayed phrenic nerve distal motor latency

Abstract

Abstract Background Cervical spondylosis is a chronic degenerative condition of the cervical spine that can affect the cervical nerve roots. The origin of the phrenic nerve makes it vulnerable to injury. The purpose of this study is to investigate possible subtle phrenic nerve affection in patients with cervical spondylosis using nerve conduction studies (NCS). This study was conducted on 30 patients with cervical spondylosis above C5 and on 30 healthy volunteers. Nerve conduction studies of both phrenic nerves were performed in all cases. Results The patients with cervical spondylosis showed a statistically highly significant prolongation of phrenic nerve distal motor latency (DML) than the control group (P 0.05). There was a significant correlation between DML and X-ray score (r < 0.05). Conclusions Cervical spondylosis is an underestimated cause of phrenic nerve delayed DML. There is a correlation between the delay of phrenic nerve DML and the severity of cervical spondylosis.

Keywords

• Phrenic neuropathy
• Phrenic nerve conduction study
• Cervical spondylosis