Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40444498›Full record

ArticleThe Laryngoscope2025

Postoperative Fluoroscopic Appearance After Flexible Endoscopic Zenker's Diverticulotomy.

Shumon I Dhar, Savannah E Lukkes, Eric Allen, Aniah Jefferson, Rishi Suresh, Maggie A Kuhn, Lisa M Evangelista, Daniel J Cates

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Laryngoscope, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Shumon I DharDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9873-8641
Savannah E LukkesDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California-Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, California, USA.
Eric AllenDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Aniah JeffersonDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Rishi SureshDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Maggie A KuhnDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California-Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7222-4175
Lisa M EvangelistaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California-Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7825-1497
Daniel J CatesDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California-San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8016-6091

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveFlexible approach to treating Zenker's diverticulum (ZD) has gained traction in recent years. However, objective measures comparing pre- and post-surgical outcomes have not been reported. The purpose of this investigation is to describe the changes in quantitative measurements in videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) after flexible Zenker's diverticulotomy using modern per oral endoscopic myotomy (Z-POEM) technique.

methodsA retrospective review of all patients undergoing the Z-POEM technique for treatment of ZD was conducted from July 2022 to December 2024. The primary fluoroscopic outcome measures were the size of the diverticulum, pharyngoesophageal segment opening (PESo) in lateral and anterior-posterior (AP) views, pharyngeal constriction ratio (PCR), and penetration aspiration scale (PAS) score. The secondary outcome measure was the Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10) score.

resultsTwenty-nine patients had pre- and post-surgical VFSS performed. The mean age was 74.1 years (±9.5) and 55% were male. The mean diverticulum size decreased from 1.076 cm (±0.702) to 0.469 cm (±0.573), p < 0.001. The mean PESo in lateral improved from 0.392 cm (±0.201) to 0.709 (±0.303), p < 0.001. The mean PCR increased from 0.0746 (±0.116) to 0.0583 (±0.102), p = 0.03. The mean EAT-10 score decreased from 16.59 (±8.7) to 6.35 (±7.03) (p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in postoperative PAS score or PESo in the AP view.

conclusionOur data indicate that flexible surgery for ZD using the Z-POEM technique is both fluoroscopically and clinically successful in improving swallowing dysfunction in patients suffering from Zenker's diverticulum. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4:

Indexed as

EsophagoscopyMyotomyZenker DiverticulumAgedAged, 80 and overDeglutitionDeglutition DisordersFemaleFluoroscopyHumansMaleMiddle AgedPostoperative PeriodRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeflexiblefluoroscopyZenker'sZ‐POEM

Identifiers

PMID40444498
PMCPMC12645357

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.