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In anatomy, Zenker's diverticulum is a diverticulum of the mucosa of the pharynx, just above the cricopharyngeal muscle (i.e. above the upper sphincter of the oesophagus). It was named in 1877 by German pathologist Friedrich Albert von Zenker.
Epidemiology Mainly seen in older adults. Mechanisms & manifestations In simple words, when there is excessive pressure within the lower pharynx, the weakest portion of the pharyngeal wall balloons out, forming a diverticulum which may reach several centimetres in diameter. More precisely, while traction and pulsion mechanisms have long been deemed the main factors promoting development of a Zenker's diverticulum, current consensus considers occlusive mechanisms to be most important: uncoordinated swallowing, impaired relaxation and spasm of the cricopharyngeus muscle lead to an increase in pressure within the distal pharynx, so that its wall herniates through the point of least resistance (variously known as Killian's triangle, Laimer's triangle, or more accurately Killian-Laimer triangular dehiscence). The result is an outpouching of the posterior pharyngeal wall, just above the oesophagus. While it may be asymptomatic, Zenker diverticulum often causes clinical manifestations such as dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), and sense of a lump in the neck; moreover, it may fill up with food, causing regurgitation (reappearance of ingested food in the mouth), cough (as some food may be regurgitated into the airways) and halitosis (smelly breath, as stagnant food is digested by microrganisms). It rarely causes any pain. Diagnosis A simple barium swallow will normally reveal the diverticulum. This may be coupled with oesophageal endoscopy. Treatment If small and asymptomatic, no treatment is necessary. Larger, symptomatic cases of Zenker's diverticulum have been traditionally treated by neck surgery to resect the diverticulum and incise the cricopharyngeus muscle. However, in recent times non-surgical endoscopic techniques have gained more importance (as they do not require general anaesthesia and allow for much faster recovery), and the currently preferred treatment is endoscopic stapling (i.e. closing off the diverticulum via a stapler inserted through a tube in the mouth). Endoscopic laser treatment is a possible alternative, but recent evidence suggests that it less effective than stapling. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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