title: Surgical treatment of Zenker's diverticulum: transcutaneous diverticulectomy versus microendoscopic myotomy of the cricopharyngeal muscle with CO2 laser.
abstract: In a retrospective study, we analyzed 97 patients who were treated by either transcutaneous diverticulectomy (n = 66) or microendoscopic myotomy of the cricopharyngeal muscle with CO(2) laser (n = 31). Two (6.4%) of 31 patients in the microendoscopic myotomy group had complications, compared with 10 (15%) of 66 patients in the diverticulectomy group. In addition, the complications observed in the microendoscopic myotomy group were less severe than those observed in the transcutaneous diverticulectomy group. The average length of hospitalization was shorter in the microendoscopic myotomy group than in the diverticulectomy group (8 days versus 11.4 days). We conclude that microendoscopic CO(2)-laser myotomy is a less invasive, more precise, and safer procedure, which results in a shortened period of hospitalization and complete relief of symptoms in the vast majority of cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zbären
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schär
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tschopp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Häusler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004724:Endoscopy; D020701:Esophagoscopes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010609:Pharyngeal Muscles / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016672:Zenker Diverticulum / Q000601:surgery*