ArticleCureus2023
Assessment of the Diaphragm Thickness Decrease in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: Could Computed Tomography Be of Aid Regarding Diaphragm Muscle Mass?
Article in Cureus, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- CT scan-derived pectoralis muscle parameters are closely associated with COVID-19 outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Diaphragm thickness and ICU admission risk in elderly COVID-19 patients: a CT-based analysis.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2025Article
- Cluster analysis of thoracic muscle mass using artificial intelligence in severe pneumonia.Scientific reports · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe diaphragm has a significant clinical value on respiratory performance. There is little literature on the use of thorax computed tomography for the purpose of identifying alterations in diaphragm thickness in critically ill patients diagnosed with COVID-19. The present study aims to investigate dynamic changes in muscle thickness and its association with clinical outcomes.
methodsA single-center retrospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary intensive care unit (ICU). The study comprised adult patients with severe COVID-19 who were admitted to the ICU and underwent two thorax CT scans. We measured diaphragmatic thickness at the level of the celiac truncus.
resultsThe average reduction in thickness of the dynamic diaphragm was found to be -0.58 mm for the right diaphragm and -0.54 mm for the left diaphragm. The diaphragm thickness exhibited a substantial decrease on both the right and left sides in both CT scans (p=0.02). A negative correlation coefficient was observed for both the right and left diaphragm. The criterion indicating a poor prognosis for the right diaphragm was a value greater than -0.175, whereas it was more significant for the left diaphragm than -0.435. The cut-off values indicated a high risk of prolonged mechanical ventilation and an increased risk of ICU mortality.
conclusionCT diaphragm evaluation in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients has the possibility of becoming a reliable tool for predicting muscle modifications.
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Registered trials
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