Post written by Vincent Huberty, MD, from the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatopancreatology, and Digestive Oncology, Erasme Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.

This video case shows the treatment of an epiphrenic diverticulum with a new suturing and cutting technique. The treatment is done in 2 phases. First we placed suture anchors between the bottom of the diverticulum and the esophagus to fuse and secure the lateral side of the diverticulum with the esophageal wall. This allowed us later to safely cut this wall and thus marsupialize the diverticulum. That way the bolus can still pass into the diverticulum but will not get stuck in it and exit more smoothly down in the esophagus.

We feel it is important to share this new technique as it may pave the way towards better and less invasive treatments for this rare yet very debilitating disease. It might spark interest for others to replicate this technique or improve upon it. Nowadays almost only surgical options exist for those patients, and the risk profile of those options is not that favorable. We hope this changes in the next few years thanks to techniques similar to ours. It is also important for us to showcase the combination of 2 techniques to achieve new goals, here the suturing and dissection. It might trigger new creative ideas and new combinations of existing, well-established procedures and techniques.

Read the full article online.

The information presented in Endoscopedia reflects the opinions of the authors and does not represent the position of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). ASGE expressly disclaims any warranties or guarantees, expressed or implied, and is not liable for damages of any kind in connection with the material, information, or procedures set forth.