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.