A Prospective International Multicenter Study on the Efficacy and Safety of Submucosal Tunneling Endoscopic Septum Division (STESD) for the Treatment of Zenker's Diverticulum

Zenker's Diverticulum (ZD) is a sac-like outpouching of the lining of the esophageal wall at the upper esophagus. It is a rare disease typically seen in the middle-aged and older adults. Common symptoms of the disease include difficulties in swallowing (dysphagia), food reflux (regurgitation), unpleasant breath smells (halitosis) and couch, choking and hoarseness etc. (respiratory complications). Pills lodging in the sac and thus unable to take effect is also a common and yet often overlooked problem.

Traditional treatment for ZD included open resection done by head and neck surgeons and direct septum division done by ENT doctors. Septum division done by endoscopists is a new modality of treatment and so far has used the same approach as the ENT doctors-the wall between the sac and the normal esophageal lumen (the septum) is cut down directly so that food will not be held in the sac.

A cutting-edge endoscopic treatment for ZD is now emerging. In this approach, what we call submucosal tunneling endoscopic septum division (STESD), the wall is not cut directly, but inside a tunnel created by lifting the wallpaper (the mucosa lining the esophageal wall). After the muscle septum is completely cut, the mucosa is then sealed by clips, restoring integrity of the esophageal lining.

The advantage of STESD is twofold. First, the esophageal mucosa will be sealed after the operation, so that the chance of extravasation of luminal content with its relevant complications will be smaller. Second, under the protection of the tunnel, the endoscopist will be able to cut the septum completely down to its bottom, ensuring a more satisfactory symptom resolution. In short, our hypothesis is that treating Zenker's diverticulum by the tunneling endoscopic technique should be both safer and more effective than traditional methods.