Tissue Staplers in Transcervical Diverticulectomy - A Novel Approach to Closing Zenker's Diverticulum

Zenker's diverticulum is a type of false pulsion diverticulum arising from the gap between the inferior constrictor muscle and the cricopharyngeus, secondary to heightened pressure within the lumen and a malfunctioning cricopharyngeal muscle. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment having exceptional success rates with the post-surgical risk of recurrence lying between 4.2 and 18.4%. The common surgical techniques being used at present are open diverticulectomy with cricopharyngeal myotomy, endoscopic CO2 laser diverticulotomy and endoscopic staple diverticulotomy [1] Here, we are presenting a novel surgical closure technique using tissue staplers for Zenker's diverticulum for a patient who underwent transcervical diverticulectomy which gave a satisfactory postoperative outcome, at par with the other surgical techniques that are currently being employed. A 72-year-old male who presented to us with complaints of regurgitation, dysphagia, chronic cough and foreign body sensation in the throat for the past 6 months was eventually diagnosed with pharyngeal diverticulum after radiological evaluation. Our fresh approach lies in its closure wherein the diverticulum was closed using tissue staplers, instead of the traditional sutures and excised with utmost hemostasis being secured. At his one-year follow-up, the patient had no complaints and was completely relieved of his previous symptoms.