General Otolaryngology

HoarsnessRecurrent tonsillitisRecurrent ear infectionSnoring and Sleep apneaHearing lossNasal ObstructionMinimally invasive Zenker's Diverticulum surgery

Zenker's Diverticulum is a pouch in the throat from an overactive upper esophageal sphincter. Symptoms from this can include swallowing problems, regurgitation of undigested food hours after eating, coughing and clearing of the throat after eating, bad breath and sensation of food sticking in the throat.

Traditional surgery for this includes an incision on the left neck with removal of the pouch and relaxing incisions on the upper esophageal sphincter muscle. This includes several days in the hospital with a nasal feeding tube.

New minimally invasive techniques have been developed to decrease postoperative healing time. With transoral endoscopic Zenker's Surgery, patients routinely are discharged home the following day taking nutrition by mouth. This is the preferred approach at Loma Linda University for patients with previous open surgery for Zenker's diverticulum.

Transoral Endoscopic Zenker's Surgery video (.wmv - 13MB)