2017 Volume 68 Issue 3 Pages 240-244
Zenker's diverticulum is relatively rare and is occasionally found in patients with a foreign body in the esophagus. We report the case of a 52-year-old male after accidental ingestion of a fish bone that penetrated into the Zenker's diverticulum, with esophageal wall injury. The extraluminal air surrounding the foreign body was identified on CT scans. When the foreign body was extracted by upper gastrointestinal endoscope, the esophageal injury was simultaneously observed. We performed surgery to diagnose the extent of injury to the esophagus and confirm the suspected existence of a Zenker's diverticulum by cervical approach. The diverticulum was identified by a radiographic contrast study intraoperatively, and was excised. In cases when diagnosis of a diverticular foreign body in the esophagus is endoscopically difficult because of esophageal injury, surgery by cervical approach is beneficial.
