Correlation of radiologic findings and clinical outcome in pharyngeal pouch stapling.

OBJECTIVES

We undertook to identify any correlation between radiologic findings and clinical outcome in pharyngeal pouch surgery.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective case control study in a teaching hospital in Dundee, Scotland. The subjects were 21 patients who underwent pharyngeal pouch stapling. We used a novel method to measure the characteristics of each pouch by focusing on a triangular area in the neck of the pouch.

RESULTS

A correlation was found between the radiologic preoperative findings and the clinical outcome. A short triangle was more likely to result in postoperative complications, whereas a long one was more likely to require revision surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

It is possible to predict the surgical outcome from the radiologic characteristics of the diverticulum. We believe that our findings may have important clinical implications.