Successful Treatment of Zenker's Diverticulum by Endoscopic Staple-Assisted Diverticulotomy in a 75-year Saudi Female.

Zenker's diverticulum (hypopharyngeal pouch) is a rare medical entity caused by herniation of esophageal mucosa and submucosa through an anatomical defect between the layers of the inferior constrictor muscle. It is believed that this occurs mainly due to incoordination between the stages of swallowing and timely opening of the cricopharyngeus. It usually affects the elderly and patients usually present with dysphagia, regurgitation of food, halitosis and aspiration. We describe one case of Zenker's diverticulum in a 75-year Saudi female whom we successfully managed in Ear Nose Throat (ENT) department, North West Armed Forces Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia by endoscopic staple-assisted diverticulotomy resulting in successful division of the intervening septum between the diverticulum and the esophagus. This technique was well-tolerated by the patient with early return to oral feeding and shorter hospital stay. Endoscopic staple-assisted diverticulotomy is a relatively safer technique of dealing with this problem as compared to the traditional open procedure causing more morbidity, and we advocate its use to reduce patient morbidity in selected cases.