Laparoscopic repair of epiphrenic diverticulum

Epiphrenic diverticula (ED) are a rare clinical entity characterized by out-pouchings of the esophageal mucosa originating in the distal third of the esophagus, close to the diaphragm. The proportion of diverticula reported symptomatic enough to warrant surgery is extremely variable, ranging from 0% to 40%. The natural history of ED is still almost unknown and the most intriguing question concerns whether or not they all need surgical treatment. From 1993 to 2010 35 patients underwent surgery at our institution. Eleven patients were treated via a thoracotomic approach alone and were excluded from present study. The remaining 24 patients formed our study population. Seventeen patients (48.6%) underwent surgery via a purely laparoscopic approach, and received a diverticulectomy + myotomy + antireflux procedure. Seven patients (23%), with ED positioned well above inferior pulmonary vein, were treated via a combined laparoscopic-thoracotomic approach: they all underwent diverticulectomy + myotomy + an antireflux procedure. Mortality was nil. The overall morbidity rate was 25%. A suture leakage occurred in 4 patients (16.6%) and they were all conservatively treated. Patients' symptom scores decreased from a median of 15 to 0 (P = 0.0005). Laparoscopic surgery for ED is effective, but given the not negligible incidence of complications such suture-line leakage, should be considered only in symptomatic patients or in event of huge diverticula. A tailored combined laparoscopic-thoracotomic approach may be useful in case of ED located high in mediastinum or with large neck.