Why is my diaphragm higher on one side?

[1] Elevated hemidiaphragm occurs when one side of the diaphragm becomes weak from muscular disease or loss of innervation due to phrenic nerve injury. Patients may present with difficulty breathing, but more commonly elevated hemidiaphragm is found on imaging as an incidental finding, and patients are asymptomatic.

What causes elevated right diaphragm?

Raised hemidiaphragm The right hemi-diaphragm usually lies at a level slightly above the left. There are many possible causes of a raised hemidiaphragm such as damage to the phrenic nerve, lung disease causing volume loss, congenital causes such as a diaphragmatic hernia, or trauma to the diaphragm.

Which side of the lung is higher?

The right lung is larger and weighs more than the left lung. Since the heart tilts to the left, the left lung is smaller than the right and has an indentation called the cardiac impression to accommodate the heart.

Is the right lung higher than the left?

The right lung is shorter, because the liver sits high, tucked under the ribcase, but it is broader than the left. The left lung is smaller because of the space taken up by the heart (see diaphragm for an image of this).

Is elevated right hemidiaphragm serious?

The elevation of a hemidiaphragm is a significant sign of a problem. That problem may lie below, within or above the diaphragm: Below the diaphragm — In the abdomen there may be a cyst, an infection or abscess (filled with pus), hematoma (collection of blood), a tumor, or abdominal surgery.

What does the diaphragm do?

The diaphragm, located below the lungs, is the major muscle of respiration. It is a large, dome-shaped muscle that contracts rhythmically and continually, and most of the time, involuntarily. Upon inhalation, the diaphragm contracts and flattens and the chest cavity enlarges.

Why is the right lung higher?

The right lung is a little wider than the left lung, but it is also shorter. According to York University, the right lung is shorter because it has to make room for the liver, which is right beneath it. The left lung is narrower because it must make room for the heart.