Bi-Lobed Zenker's Diverticulum

In the not so distant past, I saw a patient who suffered from a bi-lobed Zenker's Diverticulum. Zenker's diverticulum for those who don't know is the abnormal development of a pouch in the throat causing symptoms of phlegm in the throat, food regurgitation, swallowing difficulties, and aspiration.

Most Zenker's Diverticulum is composed of a single central pouch. However, there are more rare varieties such as this bi-lobed pouch seen on barium swallow.

However, at time of surgery (endoscopic staple diverticulostomy), the bi-lobed nature of the pouch essentially disappeared.

Video of how the surgery is performed:

Video on Zenker's Diverticulum Surgery (Endoscopic Staple Diverticulostomy)

Our office has produced a new video describing Endoscopic Staple Diverticulostomy to treat Zenker's Diverticulum.

We have the unusual honor of having treated patients throughout the United States for this rare condition. Patients we have successfully treated have come from as far away as Oregon, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Arizona, etc.

For more information, please visit us here.

New Surgical Approach to Treat Small Zenker's Diverticulum

In the January 2010 edition of Laryngoscope, an interesting paper entitled "Transoral resection of short segment Zenker's diverticulum and cricopharyngeal myotomy: an alternative minimally invasive approach" was published on a new endoscopic approach to surgically treat very small Zenker's Diverticulum. This endoscopic approach is also able to treat cricopharyngeal spasms/hypertrophy.

Just as for the Endoscopic Staple Diverticulostomy (ESD), the most common endoscopic approach to treat Zenker's diverticulum, a Weerda laryngoscope is used to visualize the pouch. However, instead of using a stapler to treat the pouch, the pouch is everted into the esophagus and the pouch excised. The cricopharyngeal muscle is than incised under the microscope as well as endoscopically before the mucosal incision is closed using sutures.

The authors have called this procedure Trans-Oral Resection of Diverticula (TORD). When used to treat the cricopharyngeal muscle only, the procedure is called Trans-Oral Cricopharyngeal Myotomy (TOCPM).

Patients generally go home after 24 hours.

Read more about this research here.

No... our office does not offer these procedures at this time. Only the ESD approach.