Zenker's Diverticulum

Abstract

Zenker's diverticulum is the most common type of esophageal diverticulum typically affecting elderly people. Its treatment is symptom-driven and it aims to divide the muscular septum of the cricopharyngeal muscle that separates it from the esophageal lumen, creating a common cavity. The less invasive endoscopic approaches, both rigid and flexible, have become the first choice in the management of this disease over the traditional open approach, showing clear advantages in terms of shorter operative time, hospital stays and faster return to oral intake, even if presenting higher recurrence rate. More recently, new promising endoscopic submucosal tunneling techniques are showing potential advantages allowing a complete division of the septum under constant endoscopic control minimizing the risk of perforation.