Solitary caecum diverticulitis mimicking acute appendicitis

Management and long-term outcomes of acute right colonic diverticulitis and risk factors of recurrence

Background

Acute right-sided colonic diverticulitis (RCD) is a common disease in Asian populations for which the optimal treatment remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate management and evaluate long-term outcomes of treatment in patients with acute RCD.

Methods

We retrospectively collected and analyzed clinical data for patients with acute RCD admitted to the Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from December 2015 to December 2020. The patients were divided into two groups, according to primary treatment strategy, which was either conservative treatment or surgical treatment.

Results

A total of 162 consecutive patients with acute RCD were enrolled in the study. There was no significant difference in age, sex, history of abdominal surgery, medical co-morbidities, fever, previous history of RCD, treatment success rate and incidence of complications between the conservative and surgery groups. However, the recurrence rate in conservative groups was significantly higher than in surgery groups (16.53% vs 2.44%, P = 0.020). And more frequent bowel movements and previous history of RCD increased the risk of recurrence of acute RCD. Moreover, there was no significant difference in either treatment success rate or the overall recurrence rate between the patients with uncomplicated diverticulitis and patients with complicated diverticulitis.

Conclusions

Surgical treatment is also safe and effective for acute RCD. Surgical treatment should mainly be considered for patients with acute RCD with recurrence risk factors (more frequent bowel movements and previous history of RCD) or with complicated acute RCD.

Right sided diverticulitis in western countries: A review

BACKGROUND

Although the treatment guidelines for left sided diverticulitis are clear, the management of right colonic diverticulitis is not well established. This disease can no longer be ignored due to significant spread throughout Asia.

AIM

To analyse epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of right-sided diverticulitis in western countries.

METHODS

MEDLINE and PubMed searches were performed using the key words “right-sided diverticulitis’’, ‘‘right colon diverticulitis’’, ‘‘caecal diverticulitis’’, ‘‘ascending colon diverticulitis’’ and ‘‘caecum diverticula’’ in order to find relevant articles published until 2021.

RESULTS

A total of 18 studies with 422 patients were found. Correct diagnosis was made only in 32.2%, mostly intraoperatively or via CT scan. The main reason for misdiagnosis was a suspected acute appendicitis (56.8%). The treatment was a non-operative management (NOM) in 184 patients (43.6%) and surgical in 238 patients (56.4%), seven of which after NOM failure. Recurrence rate was low (5.45%), similar to eastern studies and inferior to left -sided diverticulitis. Recurrent patients were successfully conservatively retreated in most cases.

CONCLUSION

The management of right- sided diverticulitis is not well clarified in the western world and no selective guidelines have been considered even if principles are similar to those with left- sided diverticulitis. Wrong diagnosis is one of the most important problems and CT scan seems to be the best imaging modality. NOM offers a safe and effective treatment; surgery should be considered only in cases of complicated diverticulitis or if malignancy cannot be excluded. Further studies are needed to clarify the correct treatment.

Caecal diverticulitis can be misdiagnosed as acute appendicitis: a systematic review of the literature

AIM

Caecal diverticulitis (CD) is an uncommon condition which can be misdiagnosed as acute appendicitis due to similar clinical presentations. Further, its management varies among medical centres. The aim of this study was to review cases of patients with CD, to identify the factors differentiating CD from acute appendicitis and to provide a summary of existing diagnostic methods and therapeutic alternatives regarding its management.

METHODS

This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines and the AMSTAR2 checklist. We searched MEDLINE and Embase from inception until 1 October 2018 for original publications reporting cases of CD.

RESULTS

Out of the 560 identified studies, 146 publications (988 patients) were included in the qualitative synthesis. Most frequent symptoms of CD were right iliac fossa pain (93.2%), nausea and/or vomiting (35.4%) and fever (26.9%). A total of 443 patients (44.8%) underwent radiological imaging, which reported CD in 225 patients (22.8%). For the other patients, the diagnosis was obtained by surgical exploration (73.9%). Among patients diagnosed with CD by imaging, 67 (29.8%) underwent surgery and 158 (70.2%) were treated conservatively. Among patients who underwent surgical exploration, treatment consisted most frequently of right hemi-colectomy (33%), appendectomy (18.8%) and diverticulectomy with appendectomy (16.3%).

CONCLUSION

CD can be misdiagnosed as acute appendicitis, therefore resulting in unnecessary surgical exploration. The review of the literature starting from 1930 highlights the critical role of medical imaging in supporting the clinician to diagnose this condition and administer adequate treatment.

Solitary Cecal Diverticulitis Mimicking Acute Appendicitis in a Child: Intraoperative Diagnosis

Right colonic and cecal diverticulitis can mimic acute appendicitis. A 14-year-old, 105-kg boy presented at the emergency department with symptoms mimicking acute appendicitis. Surgery revealed a case of perforated solitary cecal diverticulitis. Diverticulosis is a disease known to be common in adulthood, but the incidence is increasing in childhood. Therefore, emergency room residents and pediatric surgeons need to keep this diagnosis in mind in the differential diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Early clarification of the etiology will enable the planning of the best treatment strategy.

Solitary cecal diverticulitis, a rare cause of right lower quadrant pain: Four cases

Solitary cecal diverticulitis is a rare clinical condition. Like diverticulitis in other segments of the colon, it requires immediate surgical intervention if it is causing complications. Solitary cecal diverticulitis may be misdiagnosed as acute appendicitis, since it causes right lower quadrant pain, or as a cecal tumor or inflammatory bowel disease, due to an intraoperative appearance resembling an inflammatory mass. Four patients with solitary cecum diverticulitis presenting with acute right lower quadrant pain are discussed in this report. Three patients underwent surgery with a preliminary diagnosis of acute appendicitis or cecal tumor, and 1 patient was diagnosed with cecal diverticulitis and treated medically. The treatment approach may change depending on a preoperative or intraoperative diagnosis of cecal diverticulitis. Therefore, in areas where this disease is uncommon, cecum diverticulitis should not be forgotten in the differential diagnosis of acute right lower quadrant pain or inflammatory bowel mass.