Diaphragmatic flutter (Belly Dancer's Dyskinesia, van Leeuwenhoek's Disease) is a rare disorder with dyskinesia of one or both sides of the diaphragm.
The affected diaphragm contracts between 35 and 480 contractions per minute.
Clinical features:
(1) The abdominal wall shows jerky, writhing contractions which can cause pain or discomfort.
(2) The contractions may stop while the patient sleeps.
(3) The patient's speech sounds like a short-breathed hiccup.
(4) Injection of botulinum toxin into the diaphragm can abolish the movement.
Conditions associated with diaphragmatic flutter:
(1) CNS disease (encephalitis, deep brain stimulation, etc)
(2) spinal cord disorder (trauma, cyst, tumor, etc)
(3) anxiety
(4) malnutrition
(5) drugs
(6) pregnancy
(7) pleurisy
(8) peritonitis
(9) irritation of the phrenic nerve
(10) following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG)
