A 35-year-old woman with a history of cholecystectomy arrives in the emergency room with intractable hiccups most likely caused by an abdominal abscess secondary to surgical infection. Which of the following nerves carries pain sensation caused by irritation of the peritoneum on the central poion of the inferior surface of the diaphragm?
High-Yield Explanation
The diaphragm receives somatic motor fibers only from the phrenic nerves. However, the peritoneum on the central pa of the diaphragm receives sensory fibers from the phrenic nerve, and the peripheral pa of the diaphragm receives such fibers from the lower intercostal nerves. The subcostal nerve supplies the peritoneum inferior to the diaphragm. The vagus and greater splanchnic nerves do not carry pain fibers from the peritoneum.