Author(s)

Marcello Migliore, Giuseppa Pulvirenti, Damiano Calvo, Alessandra Criscione, Mariapia Gangemi, Francesco Borrata, Daniela Palumbo

Section of General Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
Section of General Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Catania, Catania, Italy..

Among all diverticula of the esophagus, epiphrenic diverticula occur less frequently than those in the pharyngo-esophageal segment. Two simultaneously occurring diverticula in the epiphrenic esophagus are very rarely reported in the English literature. A 52-year-old woman had a 3-year history of troublesome dysphagia, heartburn, chest pain and cough. Initial investigation included a physical examination and a barium swallow, which showed the presence of two diverticula in the epiphrenic esophagus. Esophagoscopy confirmed the presence only of the lower diverticulum. The patient underwent a left thoracotomy, the esophagus was mobilised from the hiatus to the aortic arch. The necks of the diverticula were localised in the posterior wall and between them there was a bridge of circular muscular fibres, which was divided. Diverticulectomy over an intra-esophageal 54 F Maloney dilator was performed. The upper diverticulum was left intact because it disappeared after the bridge of esophageal muscles has been myotomized. A long myotomy was carried out, and a modified Belsey fundoplication was added. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient remains well at 10 years with no recurrence of symptoms.

Esophageal Epiphrenic Diverticulum; Esophageal Myotomy; Belsey Mark IV

M. Migliore, G. Pulvirenti, D. Calvo, A. Criscione, M. Gangemi, F. Borrata and D. Palumbo, "Surgical Management of Two Simultaneously Occurring Epiphrenic Esophageal Diverticula," Open Journal of Thoracic Surgery, Vol. 2 No. 4, 2012, pp. 91-93. doi: 10.4236/ojts.2012.24018.