Zenker's diverticulum: Analysis of surgical complications from diverticulectomy and cricopharyngeal myotomy

Objective: To identify risk factors for postoperative complications in pati ents undergoing diverticulectomy and cricopharyngeal (CP) myotomy for Zenke r's diverticulum, Study Design: Retrospective, Materials and Methods: A cha rt review was conducted of all patients with a Zenker's diverticulum who we re treated with diverticulectomy and cricopharyngeal myotomy at three terti ary care centers in central Indiana between 1988 and 1998, Results: Of the 24 patients identified, 9 developed postoperative complications (2 medical and 7 surgical), Statistical analysis of multiple potential risk factors re vealed that only diverticulum size greater than 10 cm(2) at surgery placed the patient at increased risk for postoperative surgical complications. To our knowledge, this is the first report that has specifically addressed div erticulum size as an independent risk factor for postoperative surgical com plications following diverticulectomy and CP myotomy, Conclusions: Given ou r findings, we recommend considering diverticulopexy rather than diverticul ectomy in a patient with a Zenker's diverticulum greater than 10 cm(2) in s ize if a cervical approach is the selected treatment.