Hypopharyngeal Diverticulum

Overview

The authors discuss in their paper the problem of Zenker’s diverticulum. The paperis divided into two parts. In the first part they mention historical, anatomical and physiologicalaspects. Then a reflection on etiological factors of development of Zenker’s diverticulum follows.The authors mention also the symptomatology of hypopharyngeal diverticula and the most frequ-ently used diagnostic procedure.In the conclusion of the first part the authors mention therapeutic procedures used in the worldand in the CR.In the second part the authors present their own group of patients with Zenker’s diverticulum. Atthe Department of otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery they operated in 1975 - 1997 35patients with a hypopharyngeal diverticulum. The group comprised 22 (63%) men and 13 (37%)women.The sex ratio (i.e. men:women 2:1) is similar also in groups of other authors. The mean age of thepatients was 64 years. The youngest patients was 46 years old, the oldest 81 years. The mean lengthof the case-history was 40 months. All patients reported dysphagia, 75% of the patients regurgitationof undigested food. A drop of body weight by more than 10% was reported by 29% patients. In 34%patients resection of the diverticulum was performed, in one patient myotomy of the m. cricopha-ryngicus.The surgical technique is described in detail. In all patients regression (21%) or disappearance ofcomplaints (79%) resp. was recorded. In three patients revision of surgery was necessary. Theauthors record also the incidence of complications. Most frequent are early complications andpareses of the recurrent nerve.The postoperative results are comparable with published results of other authors quoted in thepublication.

Key words:
hypopharyngeal diverticula, pharyngooesophageal diverticula, etiopathogenesis,surgical technique, results.