膈肌是主要的呼吸肌,其活动可作为呼吸肌功能的代表。膈肌功能可通过其电活动(膈肌肌电)和机械功能如用于反映胸腔压的食道压进行综合评价。与食道压相比,置放准确的多导食道电极所记录的膈肌肌电更能准确反映呼吸中枢驱动。各种呼吸系统疾病包括阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停(obstructive sleep apnea, OSA)、慢性阻塞性肺疾病(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)即慢阻肺病的病理生理改变与呼吸中枢驱动有关。精准记录膈肌肌电,量化呼吸中枢驱动已成为探索疾病发生机理、帮助诊断的重要工具。本文首先介绍食道电极记录膈肌肌电,量化呼吸中枢驱动的方法,并在此基础上总结其对慢性呼吸疾病诊断治疗的价值。

The diaphragm is the main respiratory muscle, and its activity can be used to assess respiratory muscle function. Diaphragm function can be evaluated by its electrical activity (diaphragm electromyography, EMGdi) and mechanical functions such as pleural pressure reflected by esophageal pressure. Compared with esophageal pressure, EMGdi recorded by a multipair esophageal electrode catheter could serve as a more reliable biomarker of neural respiratory drive. The pathophysiological changes of various respiratory diseases including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are related to neural respiratory drive. Accurately recording EMGdi and quantifying neural respiratory drive has become an important tool for exploring disease pathogenesis and aiding in diagnosis. This article introduces the method for recording EMGdi and quantifying neural respiratory drive using a multipair esophageal electrode catheter, summarizing its value in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic respiratory diseases.