Gleneagles Hospital Chennai Treats Two Rare Food-Pipe Disorders Through Advanced Endoscopy
Chennai: Gleneagles Hospital Chennai has reported the successful treatment of two elderly patients with rare swallowing disorders using advanced endoscopic procedures.
The cases involved a 73-year-old woman with Achalasia and a large Epiphrenic Diverticulum, who underwent Diverticular Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy (D-POEM), and a 75-year-old man with Zenker’s Diverticulum, who was treated using Z-POEM with modified Septotomy.
73-Year-Old Woman Treated for Achalasia
The 73-year-old woman from Jayankondam in Ariyalur district had experienced difficulty swallowing food and liquids for nearly three years. Her condition worsened over the two months before treatment, with difficulty tolerating even liquids, frequent vomiting and significant weight loss.
Investigations identified Achalasia along with a large Epiphrenic Diverticulum. She also had diabetes, hypertension, hypothyroidism, chronic kidney disease and a previous cardiac stent.
On March 30, 2026, Dr. B. Mahadevan and his team performed D-POEM, an endoscopic procedure carried out through the mouth without an external surgical incision.
According to Gleneagles Hospital Chennai, Dr. Mahadevan is the first doctor in Tamil Nadu to perform D-POEM for an Epiphrenic Diverticulum.
The patient was discharged three days after the procedure. At her one-month follow-up, she reported significant improvement in swallowing, while investigations showed near-normal swallowing function. Endoscopy also showed a healthy and healed oesophagus.
75-Year-Old Man Treated for Zenker’s Diverticulum
In the second case, a 75-year-old man from Belgium, who has been living in India, had been experiencing symptoms associated with Zenker’s Diverticulum for nearly 10 years.
He had suffered from regurgitation of undigested food, coughing and a persistent gurgling sensation in his throat. The symptoms had increasingly affected his sleep and eating, and he had lost 5 kg over six months.
An evaluation at the hospital identified a large 5-cm Zenker’s Diverticulum containing retained food residue.
On July 7, 2025, Dr. Mahadevan and his team performed Z-POEM with modified Septotomy through an endoscopic approach, without an external incision.
At the one-month follow-up, the diverticulum had opened and flattened, restoring food passage. The patient reported relief from regurgitation, nighttime disturbances and the gurgling sensation.
Dr. B. Mahadevan, Senior Consultant Gastroenterology, Gleneagles Hospital Chennai, said the two cases were clinically challenging but could be treated using advanced endoscopic techniques without external surgery.
Dr. S. Niranjani, Chief Operating Officer and Hospital Head, Gleneagles Hospital Chennai, said long-standing swallowing disorders can affect nutrition and quality of life, while Mr. R. Y. Bharath Kanth Reddy, Chief Executive Officer, Chennai and Hyderabad Cluster, Gleneagles Hospitals, highlighted the use of minimally invasive endoscopic treatment in the two cases.
