I went to the hospital to have a check-up because I had food stuck in my throat. This always happens after I have eaten and it has been going on for a few months. My doctor suggested a Barium Swallow X-ray and the result showed that there was "a pooling of contrast seen below the cricoids on the right suggestive of a lower pharyngeal and upper esophageal diverticulum".
Do I need to go for surgery? Will the pouch get worse if I don’t go for surgery?
Dr Aw Chong Yin, Specialist in Ear, Nose & Throat Surgery, Raffles Hospital
I presume that other than the dripping nose, there are no other symptoms. This often happens in individuals who have a sensitive nose. There are also some individuals who react this way after taking spicy food.
From the history you gave, it sounds like you have a pharyngeal pouch. It is, as you correctly mentioned, a diverticulum (an out-pouching) from the normal lumen of the upper oesophagus. As it is a structural problem, it is unlikely to resolve with medication. Surgical removal of the pouch is probably the only option.
Surgical removal would also restore the normal alignment of the lumen of the upper oesophagus hence allowing your friend to eat normally. There is also a very small possibility of a cancerous lesion causing the diverticulum. This can be excluded in the same sitting during the surgery.