Hypopharyngeal diverticulum after cervical spine surgery; The role of endoscopic management

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the role of minimally invasive endoscopic diverticulostomy in patients who develop hypopharyngeal diverticulum after cervical spine surgery/fixation. Materials and methods This is a retrospective case series of seven patients who underwent endoscopic management of a symptomatic hypopharyngeal diverticulum. The patients were analyzed for diverticulum size, pre-operative and post-operative dysphagia and regurgitation scores, and complications. The overall success with the endoscopic approach was compared to the prior experience with traditional Zenker's diverticulum. Results Of the seven patients with hypopharyngeal diverticulum, four were successfully managed with minimally invasive endoscopic diverticulostomy (57%). These four patients all demonstrated clinically significant improvement in both dysphagia and regurgitation scores at a minimum of 6 months postoperatively. Complications were minimal and consisted of one case with postoperative subcutaneous air. There were no cases of fistula, mediastinitis, or nerve injury. Conclusions Minimally invasive endoscopic diverticulotomy can be successfully applied to patients who develop hypopharyngeal diverticulum after cervical spine surgery/fixation.