Hemidiaphragmatic palsy following excision of cervical dumbbell neurofibroma in a patient with neurofibromatosis: Importance of assessing functional status of “non-limb” roots

Abstract

A 27-year-old male patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 who was operated on for a dumbbell neurofibroma of the cervical spine developed transient respiratory difficulty due to postoperative unilateral diaphragmatic palsy. This report emphasizes the need for preoperative assessment of residual function in involved non-limb roots, the role of intraoperative monitoring to take a decision on root sacrifice, and the need for optimizing respiratory function preoperatively, and describes a complication rarely reported in literature.

Keywords::

• diaphragmatic palsy
• dumbbell neurofibroma
• neurofibromatosis
• phrenic nerve

Declaration of interest: The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.