Zenker diverticulum is also known as pharyngoesophageal diverticulum. Which statement best completes this fact?

• A. It is located in the thoracic esophagus
• B. It is an outpouching of the mucosa just above the UES
• C. It is another name for a hiatal hernia
• D. It occurs only in children

Answer: (B)

The key idea is the exact location and tissue type of Zenker diverticulum. This condition is a pulsion outpouching of mucosa and submucosa through a weak area in the posterior hypopharyngeal wall, known as Killian’s dehiscence, just above the upper esophageal sphincter. That position—posterior pharyngoesophageal area, immediately above the UES—is why the correct statement describes it as an outpouching of the mucosa just above the UES. It’s not located in the thoracic esophagus, it isn’t a hiatal hernia (which involves the stomach herniating through the diaphragm), and it typically occurs in older adults rather than only in children.