2022 Volume 55 Issue 1 Pages 10-17
A 69-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital after suffering from dysphagia, left cervical tenderness and hoarseness for 1 month. A diverticulum from the left side of the esophagus was detected, and resection of the diverticulum was performed through an external cervical incision. During surgery, balloon-assisted endoscopy was used for diagnosis of a Killian-Jamieson diverticulum. When suturing the muscular layer of the esophagus, balloon-assisted endoscopy was used again to prevent stenosis of the esophageal lumen. The operation was performed without complications and the patient has been free of dysphagia, esophageal stricture, and recurrent diverticula postoperatively. Killian-Jamieson diverticulum is relatively rare and often asymptomatic, but may occasionally cause dysphagia or esophageal reflux symptoms. Compared to a Zenker diverticulum, a Killian-Jamieson diverticulum arises anatomically closer to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, and the cricopharyngeal muscle may not be implicated as a cause. To avoid intraoperative injury of recurrent laryngeal nerve and unnecessary cricopharyngeal myotomy, it is important to distinguish between Killian-Jamieson and Zenker diverticula. Our case shows that balloon-assisted endoscopy is useful for diagnosis of the diverticulum and prevention of intraoperative complications.
