Question:medium
The most common site of origin of the pharyngeal diverticulum seen in the barium swallow shown below is:
The most common site of origin of the pharyngeal diverticulum seen in the barium swallow shown below is:
Show Hint
This pharyngeal pouch herniates through Killian's dehiscence: recall which two muscle fibres border that gap.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Between stylopharyngeus and palatopharyngeus
- Between middle and inferior constrictor
- Between inferior constrictor and esophagus
- Between thyropharyngeus and cricopharyngeus
Show Solution
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Identify the pouch, then place the gap. A posterior barium-filled sac arising from the hypopharynx is Zenker's diverticulum, a pulsion diverticulum that pushes mucosa out through a muscular weak spot called Killian's dehiscence.
Anatomy pearl: Killian's dehiscence lies between the two parts of the inferior constrictor muscle, the obliquely-running thyropharyngeus above and the horizontal cricopharyngeus below. Because the cricopharyngeus fails to relax in time, pressure forces the mucosa out exactly here, so the answer is between thyropharyngeus and cricopharyngeus (option D).
Clinical correlate: typical in the elderly, it causes dysphagia, regurgitation of stale food, gurgling in the neck and bad breath, with aspiration pneumonia as a complication. Treatment is endoscopic stapling or open diverticulectomy with cricopharyngeal myotomy. Ref: Scott-Brown's Otorhinolaryngology, Vol 3, p.746.
Anatomy pearl: Killian's dehiscence lies between the two parts of the inferior constrictor muscle, the obliquely-running thyropharyngeus above and the horizontal cricopharyngeus below. Because the cricopharyngeus fails to relax in time, pressure forces the mucosa out exactly here, so the answer is between thyropharyngeus and cricopharyngeus (option D).
Clinical correlate: typical in the elderly, it causes dysphagia, regurgitation of stale food, gurgling in the neck and bad breath, with aspiration pneumonia as a complication. Treatment is endoscopic stapling or open diverticulectomy with cricopharyngeal myotomy. Ref: Scott-Brown's Otorhinolaryngology, Vol 3, p.746.
Was this answer helpful?
0
