title: Long-term symptom control after endoscopic laser-assisted diverticulotomy of Zenker's diverticulum.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the long-term outcome after endoscopic laser-assisted diverticulotomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical files of patients who underwent endoscopic Zenker's diverticulum (ZD) surgery were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were interviewed using a questionnaire which assessed symptoms, other relevant disorders and satisfaction after the surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean follow-up period from 62 surgeries was 100 months (range 11-216 months). Follow-up data were obtained from 34 patients (response rate: 55%) in total. The surgery resulted in a significant reduction of symptoms (regurgitation, dysphagia and globus sensation). In four cases (12%) a postoperative impairment of swallowing solid food was reported, whereas, persisted difficulty of swallowing liquids was observed in two patients (6%). There was no reported case of impairment associated with everyday habits. The majority of patients were satisfied with the overall outcome of the surgery (n=31, 91%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The endoscopic laser-assisted diverticulotomy is an effective method of treating Zenker's diverticulum. The presented long-term results confirm that this technique offers a very high degree of symptom relief and patient's satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: andreas.anagiotos@uk-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anagiotos
authors.affiliation: University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feyka
authors.affiliation: The Whiteley-Martin Research Centre, Department of Surgery, The University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School Nepean, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Guy D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Eslick
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lichtenstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Henning
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Orlando
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Guntinas-Lichius
authors.affiliation: University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Karl-Bernd
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Hüttenbrink
authors.affiliation: University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Simon F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Preuss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D004945:Esophagoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016672:Zenker Diverticulum / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Diverticulotomy; Laser-assisted; Quality of life; Satisfaction; Zenker's diverticulum