Zenker's Diverticulum: Can Protocolised Measurements with Barium SWALLOW Predict Severity and Treatment Outcomes? The "Zen-Rad" Study.

Although barium swallow imaging is established in the investigation of Zenker's diverticulum (ZD), no agreed measurement protocol exists. We developed a protocol for measuring ZD dimensions and aimed to correlate measurements with symptoms and post-operative outcomes. This prospective study included patients with confirmed ZD who underwent flexible endoscopic septal division (FESD) between 2014 and 2018. ZD was confirmed on barium radiology with measurements reviewed by two consultant radiologists. Symptom severity pre- and post-FESD was measured using the Dysphagia, Regurgitation, Complications (DRC) scale. Regression analyses were conducted to identify dimensions associated with therapeutic success, defined as remission (DRC score ≤ 1) 6 months after index FESD. In total, 67 patients (mean age 74.3) were included. Interobserver reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients-ICCs) was greatest for pouch width (0.981) and pouch depth (0.934), but not oesophageal depth (0.018). Male gender (60.9%) was associated with larger pouch height (P = 0.008) and width (P = 0.004). A positive correlation was identified between baseline DRC score and pouch depth (ρ 0.326, P = 0.011), particularly the regurgitation subset score (ρ 0.330, P = 0.020). The index pouch depth was associated with FESD procedure time (rho 0.358, P = 0.041). Therapeutic success was achieved in 64.2% and was associated with shorter pouch height (median 14.5 mm vs. 19.0 mm, P = 0.030), pouch width (median 19.9 mm vs. 28.8 mm, P = 0.34) and cricopharyngeal length (median 20.2 mm vs. 26.3 mm, P = 0.036). ZD dimensions may be feasible and were evaluated using Barium radiology. Specific parameters appear to correlate with severity and post-FESD outcomes, which aid with pre-procedural planning.

Feasibility of high-flow nasal oxygen therapy and two-stage sedation during endoscopic hypopharyngeal therapy.

BACKGROUND: Structural disorders of the hypopharynx can lead to dysphagia-related morbidity. Endoscopic therapy in this area, for example, myotomy for Zenker's diverticulum (ZD), has traditionally been performed under general anesthesia (GA). We have developed a two-stage sedation process, which is used along with high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNOT) to facilitate endoscopic hypopharyngeal procedures. METHODS: In this prospective, single-center study, patients undergoing endoscopic procedures between June 2016 and March 2018 were included. All endoscopies were performed with propofol and/or remifentanil and supported with HFNOT. In patients with ZD, the diverticulum and stomach were cleared of debris under conscious sedation to reduce the risk of aspiration, before sedation was deepened to facilitate myotomy. Sedation-related adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients were included for analysis (mean age of 71.1, range 31-93; 58% male); 48% were categorized as American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Grade III and 6% as Grade IV. The median procedure time was 20 min. Of patients, 83% were sedated with both propofol and remifentanil using a target-controlled infusion under specialist anesthetic supervision. Sedation-related adverse events included transient hypotension (38%), bradycardia (8%), and hypoxia (8%). No procedures were abandoned due to complications, and no patients required conversion to GA. Patients achieved full postprocedure recovery from sedation after a median duration of 5 min. CONCLUSIONS: HFNOT is a useful adjunct to two-stage sedation, which can enable high-risk patients to safely undergo deep sedation during hypopharyngeal endoscopic procedures.