Pharyngeal diverticula: is a positive family history unusual or of consequence?

The aetiology of pharyngeal diverticula is unclear. There are only a few case reports of pharyngeal pouches occurring in families in the literature and the importance of inheritance has been relegated to 'other proposed aetiological factors' in a recent paper. We studied the incidence of a family history in all patients diagnosed as having pharyngeal pouches between 1980 and 1985 in the Leeds/Bradford area. Of 32 people questioned, 7 had died leaving no relative to provide the information. Five patients (20%) recorded a positive family history and 20 patients (80%) a negative history. This finding is of relevance to the controversy surrounding cricopharyngeal myotomy in combination with pouch excision. If these patients have a congenitally weak posterior pharyngeal wall then they may have a greater risk of recurrence without a simultaneous myotomy.