Comparison of open surgery and transoral approach in Zenker’s diverticulum

INTRODUCTION: In the surgical treatment of Zenker’s diverticulum, endoscopic methods applied under general anesthesia have been used frequently in recent years. Endoscopic methods have gained popularity due to the shorter operative time, shorter hospital stay and transition to oral feeding, and low complication rates in selected patients. In this article, in the surgical treatment of Zenker’s diverticulum; the open surgical approach and the transoral endoscopic surgical technique were compared.
METHODS: The patients in the study were divided into two groups those who underwent open surgery and those who underwent stapled diverticulectomy. Demographic data (age and gender), preoperative symptoms (vomiting, dysphagia, and regurgitation), presence of post-operative complications, duration of hospitalization, diverticulum size, and long-term recurrence status of all patients were included in the study.
RESULTS: A total of 12 patients were included in the study. Staple diverticulectomy was performed in six of 12 patients by open surgical technique and in the other six patients by endoscopic technique. The mean ages of the patients who underwent endoscopic and open surgical modalities were 69 (61–84) and 68 (53–81), respectively. Of the patients who underwent open surgery, five were male and one was female. Of the patients who underwent endoscopic stapler diverticulectomy, four were male and two were female. Of the patients in the group who underwent open surgery, one had preoperative vomiting, three had dysphagia, and two had regurgitation.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: We think that transoral diverticulotomy is an effective surgical option that can be safely per-formed in selected patients and can provide successful results at least in the early period.