Paper presentedCause and treatment of epiphrenic diverticula
Section snippets
Patients and Methods
Between June 1, 1994 and December 23, 2002, we evaluated 21 patients with epiphrenic diverticula. There were 15 men and 6 women, with a mean age of 64 years (range 31 to 86 years).
Symptoms
Seventeen patients (81%) complained of dysphagia, 17 patients (81%) of regurgitation, 13 patients (62%) of chest pain, and 12 (57%) of heartburn. In 10 patients (48%) the history was typical for intermittent episodes of aspiration, mostly during the night. The median duration of symptoms was 60 months.
Barium swallow
The barium study showed that the diverticulum was located on the right side of the esophagus in 16 patients (76%). The average size of the pouch was 7 cm. Findings suggestive of a primary
Comments
These results show that: (1) an esophageal motility disorder is present in most patients with an epiphrenic diverticulum; and (2) the laparoscopic approach to removing an epiphrenic diverticulum is safe and effective.
Conclusions
The laparoscopic approach to epiphrenic diverticula, although technically challenging, is the surgical treatment of choice for this disorder.
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