2.5 Diaphragm USG (Figure 2)
The 3-5 MHz curvilinear probe was placed at the right and left subcostal areas at the anterior axillary lines and directed medially and cranially. The M-mode was used to assess the diaphragm excursion and thickness. The amplitude of excursion of the diaphragm was measured on the vertical axis as the distance between the baseline to the maximum height of inspiration and expiration on the M-mode tracing23 .The maximum thickness of diaphragm during inspiration (I) and expiration (E) was also measured.