Unusual position of a chest tube with elevation of the contralateral hemidiaphragm.

We present a patient with emphysema and a right-sided pneumothorax in whom a chest tube was inadvertently positioned in the lower portion of the right major fissure. The tube migrated across the midsaggital plane, resulting in left shoulder pain with elevation of the left hemidiaphragm. Malfunctioning of the tube did not result, and following its removal the diaphragm returned to its original position.