Laser diverticulotomy for Zenker's diverticulum--does it improve quality of life?

To determine quality of life (QoL) in individuals with dysphagia related to identified Zenker's diverticulum before (T1) and one year after undergoing endoscopic laser diverticulotomy surgery (T2). A total of 43 individuals (18 women and 25 men) were included at T1 and 37 of these responded at T2 (13 women and 24 men). Health-related QoL (HRQoL) was determined with the short form 36 (SF-36) and disease-specific QoL (DSQoL) was assessed with the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI). In addition, two questions about specific symptoms related to Zenker's diverticulum were added and ordered as a fifth subscale of MDADI. Comparisons were made between patients and an age- and gender-adjusted normative sample from the Norwegian population. Significant differences were found in all subscales on MDADI, but none between T1 and T2 on SF-36. Compared to the normative sample, the component score MCS of SF-36 was significantly lower in the dysphagia patients at both T1 and T2. The attrition sample had significantly lower PCS than the completers. The results substantiate that disease severity is associated with poorer disease-related QoL, and that the disease-specific QoL is significantly improved one year after laser diverticulotomy.