Esophagus

Zenker Diverticulum

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Zenker Diverticulum, Esophagopharyngeal Diverticulum, Zenkers Diverticulum

  • See Also
  1. Esophageal Dysphagia
  • Epidemiology
  1. Age: 70-80 years
  2. Gender: Male predominance
  3. Incidence: 0.01–0.11% (U.S.)
  • Background
  1. First described by Abraham Ludlow (1679)
  2. Named for german pathologist Friedrich Albert von Zenker (1877)
  • Pathophysiology
  1. Esophageal mucosa and submucosa outpouching
    1. Diverticulum protrudes through the posterior esophageal wall
    2. Passes between the thyropharyngeus and cricopharyngeus Muscles
  2. Diverticulum caused by increased hypopharyngeal pressure
    1. May result from incomplete opening of the upper esophageal sphincter
  • Findings
  1. Dysphagia
  2. Regurgitation of undigested food
  3. Halitosis
  • Complications
  1. Chronic Cough
  2. Aspiration Pneumonitis
  3. Unintentional Weight Loss
  • Imaging
  1. Barium Swallow (preferred)
  2. Ultrasound
  • Differential Diagnosis
  1. See Esophageal Dysphagia
  • Management
  1. Indications for Diverticulum correction by Endoscopic surgery
    1. Symptomatic patients with Diverticulum >1 cm
  • Resources
  1. Zenker Diverticulum (StatPearls)
    1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499996/
  • References
  1. Kalra (2025) Am Fam Physician 112(2): 205-6 [PubMed]
  2. Nehring (2013) Prz Gastroenterol 8(5):284-9 +PMID: 24868270 [PubMed]