Endoscopic treatment of a Zenker's diverticulum using argon plasma coagulation in a patient with massive cachexia and esophageal obstruction: a case report and review of literature.

A case report is presented of an 86-year-old man in a very poor general condition with a 10-year history of a Zenker's diverticulum as a cause of a complete obstruction of the esophagus with subsequent aphagia and massive cachexia. Because of high surgical risk and contraindications to general anesthesia, an approach with the flexible endoscope to perform cricopharyngeal myotomy was undertaken. Several attempts with the flexible endoscope by experienced investigators had been performed until the esophageal inlet was intubated and argon plasma coagulation could be applied in several sessions to divide the tissue bridge between the esophagus and the Zenker diverticulum to successfully restore the pharyngoesophageal passage.