2026 Volume 64 Issue 1 Pages 100-106
The case was a 41-year-old male with no subjective symptoms at the initial medical interview at our center. During upper gastrointestinal barium X-ray radiography (UGI), a diverticulum approximately 40 mm in diameter was found in the cervical esophagus, with food residue and barium (Ba) inside. At the doctor’s consultation after UGI, the patient expressed discomfort when swallowing, and a bulge was seen on the left side of the neck. A computed tomography scan revealed a diverticulum measuring 42 × 38 mm. Considering the patient’s symptoms, the difficulty of removing the Ba due to the big diverticulum with esophageal stricture, as well as the risk of infection and perforation due to residual Ba and residue, the patient was referred to surgery on the same day. The referred medical institution later reported the diagnosis of Killian-Jamieson diverticulum and completed treatment with surgical excision followed by suture closure.
Esophageal diverticulum is often asymptomatic and not subject to detailed inspection, but it may be treated when symptomatic, when the patient is considered at risk for infection or perforation, or when complicated by malignancy. Based on our experience in this case, the radiological technologist in charge of the examination should be aware that diverticula found at the time of examination may require treatment, and should pay attention to the findings in the pharyngeal region when performing the imaging.
