Phrenic nerve injury after image-guided insertion of a tunnelled right internal jugular central venous catheter.

Central venous catheters (CVC) are now commonly inserted by radiologists. Although complications are infrequent, they must be avoided where possible and recognized when they occur. We present a 10-year-old boy who developed right hemidiaphragmatic paralysis, requiring surgical plication, following US-guided insertion of a tunnelled right internal jugular CVC. The needle trajectory for internal jugular puncture must be planned to avoid the phrenic nerve.