A 79-year-old retired opera singer presents with dysphagia, which has become progressively worse during the last 5 years. He states that he is sometimes aware of a lump on the left side of his neck and that he hears gurgling sounds during swallowing. He sometimes regurgitates food during eating. What is the likely diagnosis?: (A) Carcinoma of the esophagus, (B) Foreign body in the esophagus, (C) Plummer-Vinson (Kelly-Patteson) syndrome, (D) Zenker's (pharyngoesophageal) diverticulum
Answer is D. A Zenker's (pharyngoesophageal) diverticulum is a mucosal outpouching through the triangular bare area between the cricopharyngeus muscle and the inferior constrictor muscle of the pharynx (Killian's triangle). Most present on the left side of the neck.