What Are the Indications for Resection After an Episode of Sigmoid Diverticulitis?

Clinical Features and Factors Associated With Surgical Treatment in Patients With Complicated Colonic Diverticulitis

Purpose

Colonic diverticulitis is uncommon in Korea, but the incidence is rapidly increasing nowadays. The clinical features and the factors associated with complications of diverticulitis are important for properly treating the disease.

Methods

A retrospective review of the medical records of 225 patients that were prospectively collected between October 2007 and September 2016 was conducted.

Results

Diverticulitis was detected mainly in men and women aged 30 to 50 years. Diverticulitis more frequently affected the right colon (n = 194, 86.2%), but age was higher in case of left colonic involvement (42 years vs. 57 years, P < 0.001). Percentages of comorbidities (65.6% vs. 23.8%, P < 0.001), complications (65.6% vs. 6.2%, P < 0.001), and surgical treatment (50.0% vs. 4.1%, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with left colonic diverticulitis. In the multivariate analysis, a risk factor for complicated diverticulitis was left colonic involvement (P < 0.001; relative risk [RR], 47.108; 95% confidence interval [CI], 12.651–175.413). In complicated diverticulitis, age over 50 was the only significant risk factor for surgical treatment (P = 0.024; RR, 19.350; 95% CI, 1.474–254.023).

Conclusion

In patients over 50 years of age with left colonic diverticulitis, a preventive colectomy should be reconsidered as one of the options for treatment.

Recent Advances in Diverticular Disease

Diverticular disease is common and accounts for substantial health care utilization in the USA. Recent publications in the areas of diverticulosis and diverticular disease have highlighted several notable advances that are now changing practice. Despite colonic diverticula being common, only 1-4 % of individuals with colonic diverticula will develop diverticulitis. After a first occurrence of acute diverticulitis, the risk of recurrence is 20 % at 5 years. Complications most commonly occur with the first occurrence of acute diverticulitis and not with recurrent episodes. After an episode of diverticulitis, many patients continue to experience chronic gastrointestinal symptoms. Prophylactic surgery is an option to reduce the risk of recurrence and its negative impact on quality of life. Importantly, the rationale for surgery is no longer to prevent complications because this risk is low. The review concludes with practical recommendations for patients with diverticulosis and diverticular disease.

Acute colonic diverticulitis: an update on clinical classification and management with MDCT correlation

Currently, the most commonly used classification of acute colonic diverticulitis (ACD) is the modified Hinchey classification, which corresponds to a slightly more complex classification by comparison with the original description. This modified classification allows to categorize patients with ACD into four major categories (I, II, III, IV) and two additional subcategories (Ia and Ib), depending on the severity of the disease. Several studies have clearly demonstrated the impact of this classification for determining the best therapeutic approach and predicting perioperative complications for patients who need surgery. This review provides an update on the classification of ACD along with a special emphasis on the corresponding MDCT features of the different categories and subcategories. This modified Hinchey classification should be known by emergency physicians, radiologists, and surgeons in order to improve patient care and management because each category has a specific therapeutic approach.