Pharyngoesophageal diverticula.

We reviewed 17 cases of pharyngoesophageal diverticula treated at the Medical University of South Carolina during the period 1955 to 1979. Of these 17 patients, 13 had primary excision of the diverticulum, with no deaths, one recurrence, and two significant complications. One patient with a perforated diverticulum died after simple drainage. The average age of the patients was 68, with a range of 40 to 83 years. The indicence of concurrent serious disease was quite high. We conclude that primary diverticulectomy is the current treatment of choice and is the standard against which other surgical technics must be measured. The place of cricopharyngotomy deserves further evaluation.