Long-term follow-up of endoscopic stapled diverticulotomy

Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2002 Mar;84(2):89-92.

Abstract

We report a consecutive series of 31 patients who underwent endoscopic stapled diverticulotomy. The patients' notes were reviewed retrospectively to gather data on their original admission and a postal survey was conducted to establish patient satisfaction, their ability to swallow and re-operation data. Three patients were lost to follow-up. Nine of the remaining 28 died at a median of 18 months. The remaining 21 were followed up for a median of 59 months. The data showed that, at 5 years, 94.4% of patients had an improvement in their swallowing, and 50% had an entirely normal swallow. In order to achieve this result, 19% of patients required a second procedure, and one patient (3.2%) required a third (open) procedure. Endoscopic stapled diverticulotomy has well-established, short-term advantages. This series shows that it has a good long-term outcome that is similar to established open techniques and probably better than other techniques of endoscopic diverticulotomy, i.e. diathermy or laser.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Endoscopy / methods*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Length of Stay
  • Long-Term Care
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Satisfaction
  • Recurrence
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Surgical Stapling / methods*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Zenker Diverticulum / surgery*