Esophago-pharyngeal diverticulum: a case report

The Authors report a case of Zenker's diverticulum seen and treated at the University Department of Surgical Sciences of the University of Foggia. The treatment of this condition is invariably surgical and consists in a diverticulectomy combined with a lengthwise extramucosal myotomy. This latter technical adjunct, however, would not appear to be accepted by all Authors. Other techniques have been proposed for the treatment of this condition, but no confirmation of their efficacy exists in the literature. Mortality fluctuates in the various case series, from 0.45% to 8.1%, and the morbidity varies from 5.3% to 40%. The risk of postoperative complications is always present, but can be reduced if the patient undergoes a thorough preoperative investigation.