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A Laparoscopic Approach to Epiphrenic Diverticula

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Abstract Summary

Epiphrenic diverticula are an uncommon form of esophageal diverticula that occur in the distal esophagus and are associated with esophageal motility disorders. These pseudodiverticuli develop due to localized esophageal muscle weakness and high intraluminal pressure seen in esophageal disorders that cause outflow obstruction. Patients with epiphrenic diverticula can experience dysphagia, regurgitation, and chest pain. The diagnosis is typically made after a barium esophagram, which also allows for localization and measurement of the diverticulum. Patients with severe or intractable symptoms are indicated for surgery. There are multiple surgical approaches to treating epiphrenic diverticula. However, for the scope of this chapter, the focus will be on the most common approach which is laparoscopic transhiatal diverticulectomy and Heller myotomy with partial fundoplication. This minimally invasive approach allows patients to avoid the associated pain, increased hospital length of stay, and increased morbidity seen with other surgical approaches.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Surgery, Division of Burn, Trauma, and Critical Care, Dallas, TX, USA

    Jonathan Imran & Tarik Madni

  2. Section Chief of General Surgery, North Dallas VA Medical Center, Surgical Services, Dallas, TX, USA

    Thai Pham

Authors
  1. Jonathan Imran
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  2. Tarik Madni
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  3. Thai Pham
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jonathan Imran .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, AL, USA

    Jayleen Grams

  2. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Kyle A. Perry

  3. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Ali Tavakkoli

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Imran, J., Madni, T., Pham, T. (2019). A Laparoscopic Approach to Epiphrenic Diverticula. In: Grams, J., Perry, K., Tavakkoli, A. (eds) The SAGES Manual of Foregut Surgery . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96122-4_47

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96122-4_47

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-96121-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-96122-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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