Pharyngo-Oesophageal Diverticula: A Clinical and Cineradiographic Follow-up Study of 23 Cases Treated by Diverticulectomy

Abstract

Twenty patients treated by diverticulectomy for pharyngo-oesophageal diverticula were followed up, partly by clinical assessment and partly by radiography including cinematography of the pharynx and oesophagus. The findings were compared with those in 10 normals of the same age group. This did not disclose any difference in the parameters of the pharyngo-oesophageal sphincter, but perhaps a slightly increased frequency of functional disturbances of deglutition. In 3 cases the diverticulum had recurred. The clinical follow-up examination revealed that patients without recurrence were symptom-free. Therefore, it seems justified to continue recommending diverticulectomy without simultaneous myotomy of the cricopharyngeal muscle.