Research Article
Esophageal Intramural Pseudodiverticulosis and Concomitant
Eosinophilic Esophagitis: A Case Series
Michael A. Scaffidi,
1
Ankit Garg,
1
Brandon Ro,
1
Christopher Wang,
1
Tony T. C. Yang,
1
Ian S. Plener,
1
Andrea Grin,
2
Errol Colak,
3
and Samir C. Grover
1
1
Division of Gastroenterology, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
2
Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
3
Department of Medical Imaging, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
Correspondence should be addressed to Samir C. Grover; samir.grover@utoronto.ca
Received 8 January 2016; Revised 16 June 2016; Accepted 26 July 2016
Academic Editor: Michael Beyak
Copyright © 2016 Michael A. Scafdi et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
Background. Esophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis (EIPD) is an idiopathic benign chronic disease characterized by fask-
like outpouchings of the esophageal wall. It is unknown whether there is a genuine association between EIPD and eosinophilic
esophagitis (EoE). Aims. To investigate a possible relationship between EIPD and EoE. Methods. Patients with radiographic or
endoscopic evidence of pseudodiverticulosis were identifed from the database at a single academic center. Cases were analyzed in
three areas: clinical information, endoscopic fndings, and course. Results. Sixteen cases of esophageal pseudodiverticulosis were
identifed. Five patients had histologic evidence of eosinophilic esophagitis. Patients with EoE had pseudodiverticula in the mid-
to-distal esophagus while those with EIPD had pseudodiverticula predominantly in the proximal esophagus ( < 0.001). EoE
with pseudodiverticulosis occurred in younger patients ( < 0.019). Food bolus obstructions were more common in patients
with EoE and pseudodiverticulosis than in EIPD ( < 0.034). Conclusions. Tis is the frst case series supporting a potential
association between EoE and pseudodiverticulosis. We also identify characteristic features of pseudodiverticulosis that may raise
clinical suspicion of underlying eosinophilic esophagitis.
1. Introduction
Esophageal intramural pseudodiverticulosis (EIPD) is an
idiopathic benign disease characterized by fask-like out-
pouchings of the esophageal wall distinguished by dilatation
and infammation of excretory ducts within the submucosal
esophageal glands [1]. It is a rare condition with fewer than
250 cases reported [2]. Symptoms include progressive dys-
phagia or odynophagia and rarely gastrointestinal bleeding.
Te diagnosis is typically made by either esophagoscopy or
barium esophagography. Proposed risk factors include alco-
hol and tobacco use [1] and potential associated comorbidi-
ties include gastroesophageal refux, esophageal candidiasis,
diabetes mellitus, chronic liver disease, and malnutrition [3].
Tere have been three case reports of concomitant
eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) with pseudodiverticulosis [4].
While both conditions present with dysphagia and result in
esophageal mucosal change and stricturing [1, 5], the patho-
logic hallmark of EoE is mucosal eosinophilia, in contrast to
the alteration of the submucosal esophageal glands in EIPD
[6, 7]. Given the paucity of data, it is unknown whether
there is a genuine association between EIPD and EoE. Tis
case series evaluates the risk factors, medical comorbidities,
and clinical and investigative fndings among patients with
esophageal pseudodiverticulosis, in order to evaluate a possi-
ble relationship between EIPD and EoE.
2. Methods
Te radiographic and endoscopic patient databases were
searched for records of patients with fndings of esophageal
pseudodiverticulosis between May 2000 and October 2015,
at St. Michael’s Hospital, a gastroenterology tertiary care
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Volume 2016, Article ID 1761874, 5 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/1761874