Surgical treatment of cervical oesophageal diverticula

The aim of our study is to present the results of surgical treatment of patients with cervical diverticula of the oesophagus in a period of 20 years.

A retrospective analysis of 65 patients treated between 2000 and 2020. Patients with symptoms such as dysphagia, vomiting, chocking, recurrent respiratory tract inflammation, as well as patients with diverticular recurrence or poor outcome of primary surgery, were qualified for surgical resection of the oesophageal diverticulum with myotomy using an open technique. Patients were evaluated for the degree of dysphagia before and after surgery, associated perioperative complications, and overall comfort after surgical treatment.

Sixty-five patients underwent surgical treatment, 7(10.7%) of whom were treated for diverticular recurrence or poor outcome of primary treatment. The predominant symptom was dysphagia, which was found in 55(84.6%) patients, increasing over 6 to 48 months with a mean of 17.6 months. The size of the diverticulum ranged from 2 to 6 cm with a mean of 4.8 cm. One patient (1.5%) who experienced the suture line leak was treated conservatively and the fistula healed. Another patient had permanent vocal cord damage, and 1(1.5%) patient had transient damage. The surgical outcome was very good in 48 patients, good in 15 patients, and poor in 2 patients. No postoperative death occurred.

The technique of open resection with myotomy continues to be an effective method of treating cervical diverticula. It has a zero-mortality rate, low perioperative complication rate, good functional outcome, and low recurrence rate.