Surgical Treatment of Esophageal Diverticulum

식도게실의 외과적 치료

Sixteen patients with esophageal diverticulum operated on between July 1979 and September 1988 at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of National University Hospital have been studied. There were 2 cases of the pharyngoesophageal diverticula, 12 cases of the midesophageal diverticula, and 2 cases of the epiphrenic diverticula. Twelve cases of midesophageal diverticula consisted of 9 cases of pulsion type and 3 cases of traction type. There were 13 women and three men, whose ages ranged from 25 to 65 years with an average age of 45.5 years. Diverticulectomy alone in three cases, diverticulopexy with myotomy in two cases, and diverticulectomy with myotomy in 11 cases were performed. There were no deaths or morbidity and all patients have achieved marked improvement of their symptoms except four patients who had a concomitant hypopharyngeal carcinoma, had a postoperative recurrence in epiphrenic diverticulum, and had two cases of postoperative transient regurgitation which subsided spontaneously one and one and half year later.