The development of minimally invasive procedures has rekindled interest in endoluminal techniques for the management of Zenker's diverticulum. Tissue sealers as employed in laparoscopic surgery have not been previously used for Zenker's diverticulum septotomy. Supported by the established safety of linear cutters, bipolar forceps, and ultrasonic scalpels, we have started a procedure using the Ligasure 5 TM tissue sealer. Safety and efficacy results in our early clinical experience are shown for a prospective series of 5 consecutive Zenker's diverticulum cases that were perorally managed with tissue sealing. The procedure was quickly and safely performed in the endoscopy room under sedation. Mean number of seals per patient was 2, and mean procedure duration was 33 minutes. No complications developed during or after the procedure, and patients were discharged with immediate dysphagia relief and adequate oral tolerance. No diverticular relapses occurred after a mean follow-up of 21 months (range 18-30).This procedure may be repeated as often as desired with no need for hospital admission. Safety should be prospectively assessed by further studies using a higher number of procedures.

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for uncomplicated gallbladder diseases (UGD) is a low-complexity procedure with little morbidity. Single port approach (SPA) benefits are unclear. Our aim is to identify any advantages by evaluating both the clinical outcomes of this approach and also patient opinion, following a year of implementation in our institution.Methods: Data from patients operated on during 2015 for UGD by SPA or conventional laparoscopic approach (CLA) were collected. Patients were asked to answer a telephone questionnaire 4-6 months after the operation.Results: 47 patients were operated on by SPA (SP group) and 117 by CLA (CL group). No differences were found between preoperative variables, surgical time, morbidity, length of stay or wound complications. More SP group patients reported no pain at discharge (72.3 vs 54.7%, p=0.037). 138 patients answered the questionnaire. No significant differences were found when comparing overall satisfaction. Wound aspect satisfaction was higher in the SP group (100 vs 80.9%, p=0.001). A higher proportion of CL group patients felt that had they had fewer scars, they would be more satisfied (46.8 vs 9.1%, p <0.001), and 35.1% of them opined that their satisfaction would be greater had they been operated on by SPA. In the multivariate analysis, the only variable associated with maximum overall satisfaction was wound aspect satisfaction.Conclusions: SPA is a valid alternative to CLA for UGD. It should be chosen when available, since it provides equal clinical outcomes, diminishes postoperative pain and is preferred by patients.