Schistosomal appendicitis: a rare cause of a common surgical condition.

Despite the prevalence of schistosomiasis across the world, appendicitis secondary to schistosomiasis is a rarely encountered presentation even in endemic areas, let alone in developed Western countries. We report a case of a 34-year-old male in Australia with acute appendicitis and subsequent histopathology, demonstrating the presence of schistosome ova. The case highlights the difficulties in pre-operative diagnosis of this entity and the importance of its recognition for the practising surgeon, especially in the developed world, where this rare condition may be encountered because of changing global travel and migration patterns.

Management of Zenker's diverticulum using flexible endoscopy.

Background And Aims: Zenker's diverticulum is a false diverticulum through Killian's dehiscence. Symptoms include halitosis, dysphagia, regurgitation, cough, and aspiration pneumonia. Treatment options include open transcervical cricopharyngeal myotomy, trans-oral rigid endoscopic stapling, and minimally invasive endoscopic myotomy.