Surgical Management of Esophageal Epiphrenic Diverticula: A Transthoracic Approach Over Four Decades

Tapias and colleagues find that the surgical management of epiphrenic diverticula can provide good results, with symptoms being resolved in 21 of 31 patients. The authors’ retrospective review confirmed the rarity of this condition, with fewer than one case per year over 40 years. Acute presentation with either ruptured diverticula or hematemesis was associated with poorer outcomes. The authors conclude that a diverticulectomy and myotomy should always be performed but that an antireflux procedure might not influence patient outcomes.