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Open Surgery for Zenker Diverticulum

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Management of Zenker and Hypopharyngeal Diverticula

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Abstract

Although endoscopic surgery for Zenker diverticulum (ZD) has gained popularity and is often effective, open surgery remains a reliable and, at times, preferable method of treatment for this condition. No research has definitively compared the two techniques, and thus no conclusions about superiority can be drawn. Retrospective reviews demonstrate that endoscopic procedures require less time in the operating room than open procedures but lead to a higher rate of symptom recurrence. Open surgery is more invasive, and planned entry into the hypopharyngeal lumen creates the potential for a salivary leak. Surgeons should be trained and comfortable with both endoscopic and open approaches. The patient and surgeon should have a thorough discussion of risks and benefits of each method, choosing the approach most appropriate for the individual patient. A detailed description of the authors’ open technique is outlined below.

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Acknowledgments

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of California—San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Molly Naunheim

  2. Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

    Albert L. Merati

  3. Division of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Philip A. Weissbrod

Authors
  1. Molly Naunheim
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  2. Albert L. Merati
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  3. Philip A. Weissbrod
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Albert L. Merati .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. ENT Procedure Innovation and Development, Olympus Corporation of the Americas, Southborough, Massachusetts, USA

    Richard Scher

  2. Otolaryngology, Jacobi Medical Center, Department of Surgery, Bronx, New York, USA

    David Myssiorek

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Naunheim, M., Merati, A.L., Weissbrod, P.A. (2018). Open Surgery for Zenker Diverticulum. In: Scher, R., Myssiorek, D. (eds) Management of Zenker and Hypopharyngeal Diverticula. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92156-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92156-3_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-92155-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-92156-3

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