Diverticulitis
(Diverticulosis)
Medical Author: Jay W. Marks,
MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Diverticulitis and Surgery
Is Surgery Necessary for Diverticulitis?
Sometimes, surgery may be suggested for patients with frequent, recurrent attacks of diverticulitis leading to multiple courses of antibiotics, hospitalizations, and days lost from work. During surgery, the goal is to remove all, or almost all, of the colon containing diverticula in order to prevent future episodes of diverticulitis. There are few long-term consequences of resection of the sigmoid colon for diverticulitis, and the surgery often can be done laparoscopically, which limits post operative pain and time for recovery.
What is diverticulitis?
Diverticulitis is a condition in which diverticuli in the colon rupture. The
rupture results in infection in the tissues that surround the colon.
What is diverticulosis?
The colon (large intestine) is a long tube-like structure that
stores and then eliminates waste material. Pressure within the colon causes bulging pockets of tissue (sacs) that push out from the colonic walls as a person ages. A small bulging sac pushing outward from
the colon wall is called a diverticulum. More than one bulging sac is
referred to as diverticula.
Diverticula can occur throughout the colon but are most common
near the
end of the left colon called the sigmoid colon. The condition
of having
these diverticula in the colon is called diverticulosis.
A
patient with
diverticulosis may have few or no symptoms. When a diverticulum
ruptures and becomes
infected, the condition is called diverticulitis.
A patient
suffering from diverticulitis will have
abdominal pain,
abdominal tenderness, and
fever. When bleeding originates from a diverticulum, it is
called
diverticular bleeding. A patient who suffers the consequences
of diverticulosis in the colon is referred to as having
diverticular disease.
Diverticular disease is common in the Western world but is
extremely rare in areas such as Asia and Africa. Diverticular
disease
increases with age. It is uncommon before the age of forty, and
is seen in
more than fifty percent of people over the age of sixty in the
United
States. Whereas most patients with diverticular disease have no
or few
symptoms, some patients will develop bleeding, rupture and infection
(diverticulitis),
constipation, abdominal cramps, and even colonic obstruction.
Next: How do diverticula form? »
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