Endoscopic carbon dioxide laser diverticulostomy versus endoscopic staple-assisted diverticulostomy to treat Zenker's diverticulum.

Background: The 2 most frequently used endoscopic methods to treat Zenker's diverticulum are staple-assisted and CO(2) laser esophagodiverticulostomy.

Methods: The study centered around a retrospective evaluation of 107 patients with Zenker's diverticulum who were treated endoscopically by CO(2) laser (n = 72) or staple-assisted diverticulostomy (n = 35).

Results: Patients in the staple-assisted group had a shorter duration of postoperative hospitalization, attributed to earlier oral intake, than patients in the CO(2) laser group. There were no serious postoperative complications in either group. Postoperative fever and emphysema in the neck or mediastinum occurred more frequently in the CO(2) laser group, but this did not lead to any complications. Most patients reported partial or complete relief of their symptoms and there was no significant difference in the number of reoperations between the 2 treatment groups.

Conclusions: Zenker's diverticulum was treated safely and effectively by the 2 endoscopic techniques, but the staple-assisted method seemed to be the most favorable.