diff --git a/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtpage.c b/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtpage.c
index b95c1b886d4..c0ebb95ba8a 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtpage.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtpage.c
@@ -1303,6 +1303,10 @@ _bt_pagedel(Relation rel, Buffer buf)
 	return ndeleted;
 }
 
+/*
+ * First stage of page deletion.  Remove the downlink to the top of the
+ * branch being deleted, and mark the leaf page as half-dead.
+ */
 static bool
 _bt_mark_page_halfdead(Relation rel, Buffer leafbuf, BTStack stack)
 {
@@ -1317,6 +1321,7 @@ _bt_mark_page_halfdead(Relation rel, Buffer leafbuf, BTStack stack)
 	OffsetNumber topoff;
 	OffsetNumber nextoffset;
 	IndexTuple	itup;
+	IndexTupleData trunctuple;
 
 	page = BufferGetPage(leafbuf);
 	opaque = (BTPageOpaque) PageGetSpecialPointer(page);
@@ -1406,12 +1411,17 @@ _bt_mark_page_halfdead(Relation rel, Buffer leafbuf, BTStack stack)
 	opaque = (BTPageOpaque) PageGetSpecialPointer(page);
 	opaque->btpo_flags |= BTP_HALF_DEAD;
 
-	itemid = PageGetItemId(page, P_HIKEY);
-	itup = (IndexTuple) PageGetItem(page, itemid);
-	if (target == leafblkno)
-		ItemPointerSetInvalid(&(itup->t_tid));
+	PageIndexTupleDelete(page, P_HIKEY);
+	Assert(PageGetMaxOffsetNumber(page) == 0);
+	MemSet(&trunctuple, 0, sizeof(IndexTupleData));
+	trunctuple.t_info = sizeof(IndexTupleData);
+	if (target != leafblkno)
+		ItemPointerSet(&trunctuple.t_tid, target, P_HIKEY);
 	else
-		ItemPointerSet(&(itup->t_tid), target, P_HIKEY);
+		ItemPointerSetInvalid(&trunctuple.t_tid);
+	if (PageAddItem(page, (Item) &trunctuple, sizeof(IndexTupleData), P_HIKEY,
+					false, false) == InvalidOffsetNumber)
+		elog(ERROR, "could not add dummy high key to half-dead page");
 
 	/* Must mark buffers dirty before XLogInsert */
 	MarkBufferDirty(topparent);
@@ -1427,7 +1437,10 @@ _bt_mark_page_halfdead(Relation rel, Buffer leafbuf, BTStack stack)
 		xlrec.target.node = rel->rd_node;
 		ItemPointerSet(&(xlrec.target.tid), BufferGetBlockNumber(topparent), topoff);
 		xlrec.leafblk = leafblkno;
-		xlrec.downlink = target;
+		if (target != leafblkno)
+			xlrec.topparent = target;
+		else
+			xlrec.topparent = InvalidBlockNumber;
 
 		page = BufferGetPage(leafbuf);
 		opaque = (BTPageOpaque) PageGetSpecialPointer(page);
@@ -1768,7 +1781,7 @@ _bt_unlink_halfdead_page(Relation rel, Buffer leafbuf, bool *rightsib_empty)
 		xlrec.leafblk = leafblkno;
 		xlrec.leafleftsib = leafleftsib;
 		xlrec.leafrightsib = leafrightsib;
-		xlrec.downlink = nextchild;
+		xlrec.topparent = nextchild;
 
 		rdata[0].data = (char *) &xlrec;
 		rdata[0].len = SizeOfBtreeUnlinkPage;
diff --git a/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtxlog.c b/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtxlog.c
index ada2d6691f3..dc73f2a9cd5 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtxlog.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/nbtree/nbtxlog.c
@@ -870,8 +870,8 @@ btree_xlog_mark_page_halfdead(uint8 info, XLogRecPtr lsn, XLogRecord *record)
 	 */
 	MemSet(&trunctuple, 0, sizeof(IndexTupleData));
 	trunctuple.t_info = sizeof(IndexTupleData);
-	if (xlrec->downlink != InvalidBlockNumber)
-		ItemPointerSet(&trunctuple.t_tid, xlrec->downlink, P_HIKEY);
+	if (xlrec->topparent != InvalidBlockNumber)
+		ItemPointerSet(&trunctuple.t_tid, xlrec->topparent, P_HIKEY);
 	else
 		ItemPointerSetInvalid(&trunctuple.t_tid);
 	if (PageAddItem(page, (Item) &trunctuple, sizeof(IndexTupleData), P_HIKEY,
@@ -1006,8 +1006,8 @@ btree_xlog_unlink_page(uint8 info, XLogRecPtr lsn, XLogRecord *record)
 		/* Add a dummy hikey item */
 		MemSet(&trunctuple, 0, sizeof(IndexTupleData));
 		trunctuple.t_info = sizeof(IndexTupleData);
-		if (xlrec->downlink != InvalidBlockNumber)
-			ItemPointerSet(&trunctuple.t_tid, xlrec->downlink, P_HIKEY);
+		if (xlrec->topparent != InvalidBlockNumber)
+			ItemPointerSet(&trunctuple.t_tid, xlrec->topparent, P_HIKEY);
 		else
 			ItemPointerSetInvalid(&trunctuple.t_tid);
 		if (PageAddItem(page, (Item) &trunctuple, sizeof(IndexTupleData), P_HIKEY,
diff --git a/src/backend/access/rmgrdesc/nbtdesc.c b/src/backend/access/rmgrdesc/nbtdesc.c
index 89a91a20be1..af7663b8cac 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/rmgrdesc/nbtdesc.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/rmgrdesc/nbtdesc.c
@@ -130,8 +130,8 @@ btree_desc(StringInfo buf, uint8 xl_info, char *rec)
 
 				appendStringInfoString(buf, "mark_page_halfdead: ");
 				out_target(buf, &(xlrec->target));
-				appendStringInfo(buf, "; downlink %u; leaf %u; left %u; right %u",
-								 xlrec->downlink, xlrec->leafblk, xlrec->leftblk, xlrec->rightblk);
+				appendStringInfo(buf, "; topparent %u; leaf %u; left %u; right %u",
+								 xlrec->topparent, xlrec->leafblk, xlrec->leftblk, xlrec->rightblk);
 				break;
 			}
 		case XLOG_BTREE_UNLINK_PAGE_META:
@@ -143,8 +143,8 @@ btree_desc(StringInfo buf, uint8 xl_info, char *rec)
 								 xlrec->node.spcNode, xlrec->node.dbNode, xlrec->node.relNode);
 				appendStringInfo(buf, "dead %u; left %u; right %u; btpo_xact %u; ",
 								 xlrec->deadblk, xlrec->leftsib, xlrec->rightsib, xlrec->btpo_xact);
-				appendStringInfo(buf, "leaf %u; leafleft %u; leafright %u; downlink %u",
-								 xlrec->leafblk, xlrec->leafleftsib, xlrec->leafrightsib, xlrec->downlink);
+				appendStringInfo(buf, "leaf %u; leafleft %u; leafright %u; topparent %u",
+								 xlrec->leafblk, xlrec->leafleftsib, xlrec->leafrightsib, xlrec->topparent);
 				break;
 			}
 		case XLOG_BTREE_NEWROOT:
diff --git a/src/include/access/nbtree.h b/src/include/access/nbtree.h
index 64c6982f50e..1a8b16d45e2 100644
--- a/src/include/access/nbtree.h
+++ b/src/include/access/nbtree.h
@@ -379,13 +379,15 @@ typedef struct xl_btree_vacuum
 typedef struct xl_btree_mark_page_halfdead
 {
 	xl_btreetid target;			/* deleted tuple id in parent page */
+
+	/* information needed to recreate the leaf page: */
 	BlockNumber leafblk;		/* leaf block ultimately being deleted */
 	BlockNumber leftblk;		/* leaf block's left sibling, if any */
 	BlockNumber rightblk;		/* leaf block's right sibling */
-	BlockNumber downlink;		/* next child down in the branch */
+	BlockNumber topparent;		/* topmost internal page in the branch */
 } xl_btree_mark_page_halfdead;
 
-#define SizeOfBtreeMarkPageHalfDead	(offsetof(xl_btree_mark_page_halfdead, downlink) + sizeof(BlockNumber))
+#define SizeOfBtreeMarkPageHalfDead	(offsetof(xl_btree_mark_page_halfdead, topparent) + sizeof(BlockNumber))
 
 /*
  * This is what we need to know about deletion of a btree page.  Note we do
@@ -406,7 +408,7 @@ typedef struct xl_btree_unlink_page
 	BlockNumber	leafblk;
 	BlockNumber	leafleftsib;
 	BlockNumber	leafrightsib;
-	BlockNumber	downlink;		/* next child down in the branch */
+	BlockNumber	topparent;		/* next child down in the branch */
 
 	TransactionId btpo_xact;	/* value of btpo.xact for use in recovery */
 	/* xl_btree_metadata FOLLOWS IF XLOG_BTREE_UNLINK_PAGE_META */