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Resumen Tras un episodio de diverticulitis aguda la realización de una colonoscopia de rutina ha sido defendida en las guías de práctica clínica de numerosas sociedades. Sin embargo, en los últimos años en contraposición a esto, numerosos estudios han intentado demostrar que no existe esta necesidad en todos los casos. ya que la incidencia de adenomas de alto grado (AA) y cáncer colorrectal (CCR) en la diverticulitis aguda no complicada es bajo y prácticamente similar al que encontramos en la población sometida a programas de screening, mientras que sería necesaria en pacientes con diverticulitis aguda complicada.

Purpose/Background The role of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for the surgical treatment of diverticular disease is evolving. The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes of MIS colectomy to those of open surgery for patients with acute diverticulitis requiring urgent surgery. Methods The American college of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database was queried for all patients undergoing an urgent colectomy for acute diverticulitis between 2013 and 2018. The patients were then divided into 2 groups: MIS and open. Baseline characteristics and short-term outcomes were compared using univariable and multivariable regression analyses. Results/Outcomes 3487 patients were included in the analysis. Of these, 1272 (36.5%) underwent MIS colectomy and 2215 (63.5%) underwent open colectomy. Patients undergoing MIS colectomy were younger (58.7 vs 61.9 years) and less likely to be American Society of Anesthesiologists Classification (ASA) III (52.5 vs 57.9%) or IV (6.3 vs 10.5%). After adjusting for baseline differences, the odds of mortality for MIS and open groups were similar. While there was no difference in short-term complications between groups, the odds of developing an ileus were lower following MIS colectomy (OR .61, 95% CI: .49, .76). Both total length of stay (LOS) (12.3 vs 13.9 days) and post-operative LOS (7.6 days vs 9.5 days) were shorter for MIS colectomy. Minimally invasive surgery colectomy added an additional 40 minutes of operative time (202.2 vs 160.1 min). Conclusion/Discussion Minimally invasive surgery colectomy appears to be safe for patients requiring urgent surgical management for acute diverticulitis. Decreased incidence of ileus and shorter LOS may justify any additional operative time for MIS colectomy in suitable candidates.

Purpose of review Diverticulosis leads to significant morbidity and mortality and is increasing in prevalence worldwide. In this paper, we review the clinical features, diagnosis, and management of diverticular disorders, followed by a discussion of recent updates and changes in the clinical approach to diverticular disease. Recent findings Recent literature suggests that antibiotics are likely not necessary for low-risk patients with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis, and not all patients with recurrent diverticulitis require colectomy. Dietary restrictions do not prevent recurrent diverticulitis. Visceral hypersensitivity is increasingly being recognized as a cause of persistent abdominal pain after acute diverticulitis and should be considered along with chronic smoldering diverticulitis, segmental colitis associated with diverticula, and symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease. Summary Clinicians should be aware that traditionally held assumptions regarding the prevention and management of diverticular disorders have recently been called into question and should adjust their clinical practice accordingly.

Acute diverticulitis is a common general surgical condition associated with significant costs and healthcare burden. It is unknown if rurality represents a barrier to healthcare and whether ethnic disparities exist in Northland, New Zealand. This study, therefore, aims to assess the impact of rurality and ethnicity on complexity, management, and outcomes in patients with acute diverticulitis.A retrospective observational study of all adults aged18 years admitted with acute diverticulitis to any Northland District Health Board hospital between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2019 was performed. Diverticulitis complexity was assessed using the modified Hinchey classification. The primary outcome was the effect of rurality and ethnicity on complexity of diverticulitis. Multivariable logistic regression was performed.A total of 397 patients (mean age 60.3 years (standard deviation (SD) 13.8); 48.7% female) were included. Overall, 134 patients had complicated diverticulitis. Rurality nor distance from the hospital were not associated with complexity of diverticulitis or clinical outcomes (p 0.05). Maori patients presented younger than non-Maori (mean 51 vs. 63 years, p 0.001) but there was no difference in complications, management, or clinical outcomes (p 0.05). On multivariable analysis, rurality status and Maori ethnicity were not associated with more complicated diverticulitis.This study found that rurality and ethnicity were not significant predictors of the complexity of diverticulitis.

BACKGROUND The aim was to evaluate the relevance of pneumoperitoneum on the success rate of non-operative management (NOM) of patients with complicated acute diverticulitis (AD), and the risk factors associated with failure. METHODS Observational retrospective cohort study of patients attended at the emergency department for AD from January 2015-August 2019. Patient demographics, blood tests, radiological data and initial treatment strategies were registered. NOM, based on intravenous antibiotics (ATB) and bowel rest, was defined as unsuccessful when emergency surgery (ES) and/or infection-related death took place. Patients initially treated with ES were excluded. Analysis was done with the IBM SPSS statistics 23.0.0.2 software. RESULTS According to modified Hinchey and WSES criteria, 99 (12%) of 826 AD episodes were complicated, with pneumoperitoneum on the CT scan in 89 (90.5%). NOM was undertaken in 93 (94%) cases, with a 91.5% success rate. Multivariate analysis revealed ASA class III-IV, and the presence of fluid collections >3cm in diameter, but not distant free air, to be associated with NOM failure. However, the success rate of NOM was significantly higher in patients with pericolic pneumoperitoneum (98.5%) than in those with distant free air (80%) (p=0.02). Risk factors of NOM failure were an advanced age, high CRP and WBC values, and the presence of free fluid in >2 abdominal quadrants. CONCLUSIONS NOM in hemodynamically stable patients with complicated AD is a safe and feasible approach, even in the context of distant free air. Nevertheless, patients with isolated pericolic air did better in our series.

INTRODUCTION Although contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography (CEACT) is still considered the criterion standard for the assessment of suspected acute diverticulitis, in recent years, the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been spreading more and more in this setting. The aim of this study was to compare CEACT to POCUS for the diagnosis and staging of suspected acute diverticulitis. METHODS This is a prospective study conducted on 55 patients admitted to the emergency department of two Italian Hospitals with a clinical suspicion of acute diverticulitis between January 2014 and December 2017. All the patients included underwent POCUS first and CEACT immediately afterward, with the diagnosis and the staging reported according to the Hinchey (H) classification modified by Wasvary et al. [Wasvary H, Turfah F, Kadro O, Beauregard W. Same hospitalization resection for acute diverticulitis. Am Surg. 1999;65:632-635.] Three surgeons performed all the POCUS, and the same two radiologists retrospectively analyzed all the CEACT images. The radiologists were informed of the clinical suspicion but unaware of the POCUS findings. The CEACT was used as the criterion standard for the comparison. RESULTS The final cohort included 30 females (55%) and 25 males (45%). The median age was 62 years (range, 24-88 years), and the median body mass index was 26 kg/m2 (range, 19-42 kg/m2). Forty-six of 55 patients had a confirmed diagnosis of acute diverticulitis on both POCUS and CEACT, whereas, in 7 patients, the diagnosis was not confirmed by both methods. Point-of-care ultrasound sensitivity and specificity were 98% and 88%, respectively. Point-of-care ultrasound positive and negative predictive values were 98% and 88%, respectively. Point-of-care ultrasound accuracy was 96%. Point-of-care ultrasound classified 33 H1a, 11 H1b, 1 H2, and 1 H3 acute diverticulitis. This staging was confirmed in all patients but three (93%) by CEACT. CONCLUSION Point-of-care ultrasound appeared a reliable technique for the diagnosis and the staging of clinically suspected H1 and H2 acute diverticulitis. It could contribute in saving time and resources and in avoiding unnecessary radiation exposure to most patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Diagnostic test, level III.

A subset of patients who undergo colon resection for suspected diverticulitis will unexpectedly be found to have cancer. We hypothesized that a subset of variables could be used to help predict a diagnosis of cancer preoperatively.National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data (2012-2018) were used to identify all patients with a preoperative diagnosis of diverticulitis who had unexpected cancer using postoperative staging data. Key characteristics of the study groups were compared with χA total of 17,368 patients were identified with an operative indication of acute diverticulitis. Of these, 164 (0.94%) had an unexpected postoperative diagnosis of cancer. Most cancer patients had locally advanced tumors (T1-2: 15%; T3: 39%; T4: 45%), and 37.1% had positive lymph nodes. Rates of margin positivity and inadequate lymph node harvest were 1.2% and 15.9%, respectively. In bivariate analyses, cancer patients had increased age (P.01), decreased albumin (P.001), and increased rates of preoperative anemia (P = .01), sepsis (P.01), and weight loss (10% in 6 months) (P.001). The only variables significantly associated with cancer in multivariate regression analysis were sepsis (odds ratio 2.14, 95% confidence interval [1.3-3.6]; P.01), weight loss (odds ratio 2.31, 95% confidence interval [1.1-4.4]; P = .01), and preoperative albumin level (odds ratio 0.64, 95% confidence [0.45-0.92]; P.01).An unexpected postoperative diagnosis of cancer occurs in a small percentage of patients with suspected diverticulitis. Surgeons should have a high index of suspicion for cancer in patients with sepsis or malnutrition.

A Diverticulite e uma complicacao decorrente da doenca diverticular que afeta a populacao mais idosa. A identificacao da afeccao deve ser feita a base de criterios clinicos e auxilio de exames de imagem, de forma a estabelecer o grau de acometimento. Em muitos servicos esta definido condutas mediante as alteracoes encontradas durante o diagnostico, levando a tratamentos tanto conservadores quanto cirurgicos. Dentre as alternativas cirurgicas, hoje vem ganhando espaco o uso de videolaparoscopia como metodo de escolha, tanto sua forma tradicional quando o metodo de sigmoidectomia laparoscopica assistida com mao (HALS). O objetivo desse estudo e levantar atualizacoes dos metodos utilizados atualmente frente a um quadro de paciente com doenca diverticular ou diverticulite aguda.

Resumen La diverticulitis aguda (DA) es una causa frecuente de abdomen agudo. La clínica y los resultados analíticos son importantes en la sospecha diagnóstica, pero en la actualidad, el apoyo en las pruebas de imagen es necesario, no solo para el diagnóstico sino también para su clasificación. Estas han evolucionado a lo largo del tiempo para adaptarse a las prácticas actuales.

Summary: Introduction. Diverticular disease of the large intestine accounts for 30-60 % of all organ pathologies, among which acute diverticulitis is 20-60 %. The aim of the study was to select therapeutic and diagnostic measures for acute diverticulitis of the large intestine with the development of local inflammatory complications. Materials and methods. The results of treatment of 68 patients with acute diverticulitis were analyzed. Diagnostics included clinical and laboratory studies, irrigography, colonoscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography. Research results. 61.8 % of patients with Ia, Ib stages of acute diverticulitis were treated conservatively. Drainage was installed under ultrasound control into the abscess area in 10.3 % of patients with acute diverticulitis in stage Ib. Laparoscopic intervention was performed in 22.1 % of patients. Operated on emergency indications 33.8 % of patients with II, III, IV stages of acute diverticulitis from laparotomic access. Postoperative mortality was 8.7 % of cases. Conclusions:1. Comprehensive assessment of clinical, radiological, endoscopic data, ultrasound, CT data allows to establish the clinical form and stage of acute colon diverticulitis and to choose the correct treatment tactics. 2. Multicomponent drug therapy is a rational method of treatment in patients with stage Ia, Ib acute diverticulitis. 3. Surgical treatment is indicated in acute diverticulitis complicated by perforation and peritonitis, profuse intestinal bleeding or intestinal obstruction caused by cicatricial stricture. 4. The proposed therapeutic and diagnostic algorithm for acute diverticulitis of the large intestine with the development of pyoinflammatory complications should be introduced into the practice of general surgical departments.

Aim:The risk of acute diverticulitis (AD) increases with each attack and the decision of therapeutic management is getting more complicated. We aimed to investigate the effective features of the number of attacks.Method:Two hundred thirty six patients with AD defined by computerized tomography were retrospectively analyzed according to the number of attacks (1, 2, and ≥3).Results:45.8% patients were female. The mean age was 58.3±12.7 years old, mean body mass index was 28.8±6.5 kg/m2. Elective colonoscopy of AD was mostly localized in the left colon (p

The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) recently developed a classification system to standardize outcomes analyses for several emergency general surgery conditions. To highlight this system's full potential, we conducted a study integrating prospective AAST grade assignment within the electronic medical record.Our institution integrated AAST grade assignment into our clinical workflow in July 2018. Patients with acute diverticulitis were prospectively assigned AAST grades and modified Hinchey classes at the time of surgical consultation. Support vector machine-a machine learning algorithm attuned for small sample sizes-was used to compare the associations between the two classification systems and decision to operate and incidence of complications.67 patients were included (median age of 62 y, 40% male) for analysis. The decision for operative management, hospital length of stay, intensive care unit admission, and intensive care unit length of stay were associated with both increasing AAST grade and increasing modified Hinchey class (all P 0.001). AAST grade additionally showed a correlation with complication severity (P = 0.02). Compared with modified Hinchey class, AAST grade better predicted decision to operate (88.2% versus 82.4%).This study showed the feasibility of electronic medical record integration to support the full potential of AAST classification system's utility as a clinical decision-making tool. Prospectively assigned AAST grade may be an accurate and pragmatic method to find associations with outcomes, yet validation requires further study.

The paradigm in the management of diverticular disease is continuously changing. This review serves as an overview of the management of diverticular disease including modifiable risk factors and medical and surgical therapies. The treatment of acute uncomplicated diverticulitis has changed over time to a more conservative approach with the most recent trials showing that antibiotics neither accelerated recovery nor prevented complications of diverticulitis. Another paradigm shift has been in the surgical management of patients with acute diverticulitis with a more individualized approach favoring delay in surgery. Diverticulosis is the most common finding on colonoscopy with a prevalence that increases with age. The management of diverticular disease and its complications are ever evolving with a focus on more conservative approach to the management of uncomplicated disease.

Acute diverticulitis is the third most frequent cause of gastrointestinal admission in the USA. We sought to determine the incidence of recurrence within a 90-day period and determine its impact on mortality and hospital utilization. Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) 2016 was used to identify patients ≥ 18 years old with a principal diagnosis of acute diverticulitis who were readmitted for recurrence within 90 days. The primary outcome was 90-day readmission rate for acute diverticulitis, and predictors were analyzed using a multivariate regression analysis. Secondary outcomes were mortality and hospital resource utilization. A total of 171,238 admissions were included which met inclusion criteria. Ninety-day readmission for acute diverticulitis after index diverticulitis hospitalization was 8.9%. Readmissions were associated with in-hospital additional total cost of $444,726,560 and 65,685 total hospital days and mortality rate of 4.69% compared with mortality rate of 5.20% on index hospitalization (p

Background: Most remote areas have restricted access to healthcare services and are too small andremote to sustain specialist services. In 2017, the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) published guidelines for the management of intra-abdominal infections. Many hospitals, especially those in remote areas, continue to face logistical barriers, leading to an overall poorer adherence to international guidelines. Methods: The aim of this paper is to report and amend the 2017 WSES guidelines for the management of intra-abdominal infections, extending these recommendations for remote areas and low-income countries. A literature search of the PubMed/MEDLINE databases was conducted covering the period up until June 2020. Results: The critical shortages of healthcare workers and material resources in remote areas require the use of a robust triage system. A combination of abdominal signs and symptoms with early warning signs may be used to screen patients needing immediate acute care surgery. A tailored diagnostic step-up approach based on the hospital's resources is recommended. Ultrasound and plain X-ray may be useful diagnostic tools in remote areas. The source of infection should be totally controlled as soon as possible. Conclusions: The cornerstones of effective treatment for intra-abdominal infections in remote areas include early diagnosis, prompt resuscitation, early source control, and appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Standardization in applying the guidelines is mandatory to adequately manage intra-abdominal infections. (c) 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases.

A 66 year-old female presented with Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), severe left thigh pain, and localized edema. Non-contrast Computed Tomography (CT) suggested the presence of air in the left thigh and no evidence of an acute intra-abdominal process. Blood cultures grew an anaerobic gram-negative microorganism identified as Bacteroides fragilis. Repeat CT imaging with intravenous (IV) contrast revealed acute diverticulitis and the presence of a retroperitoneal abscess with extension to the thigh muscle. Along with antimicrobial therapy, surgical intervention was needed. The patient required a sigmoid resection with end-colostomy which led to clinical improvement.

Contexto y antecedentes: La elaboración e implementación de guías clínicas pretende brindar ayuda en la toma de decisiones respecto de un determinado problema de salud, sintetizando en forma de recomendaciones la mejor evidencia disponible. Con respecto a la diverticulitis aguda, pese a la gran cantidad de guías que se han elaborado, aún hoy seobserva un bajo nivel de consenso en varios aspectos de su manejo.Objetivos: Este trabajo representa la primera encuesta que mide el nivel de consenso y la aplicación de guías internacionales sobre el manejo de la diverticulitis aguda entre los miembros de la SACP o entre cualquier otra agrupación médica a nivel nacional.Métodos: Se distribuyó una encuesta online a 313 miembros de la SACP, las respuestas se recolectaron en un período de 2 meses.Resultados: La encuesta obtuvo una tasa de respuesta de 19,5%. Solo 17 enunciados superaron el corte de 70% de nivel de consenso. De ellos, 11 enunciados estuvieron de acuerdo mientras que 2 enunciados estuvieron en desacuerdo con las recomendaciones de las guías internacionales y en los 4 enunciados restantes no pudo valorarse la concordancia debido afalta de respuesta univoca en las guías.Conclusiones: La amplia heterogeneidad en el manejo de la diverticulitis aguda entre los miembros de la SACP junto con la baja evidencia de los trabajos científicos, la pobre metodología empleada en las guías internacionales y la necesidad de contar con datos locales sobre costos y preferencias, hacen evidente la necesidad que en nuestro ámbito se comience a investigar en forma sistematizada para lograr una guía y consenso nacional.

Background Acute diverticulitis (AD) is an increasingly common cause of acute hospital admissions. An understanding of its economic burden is necessary to plan resource allocation, and for targeting health research funding. The aim of this study is to obtain an accurate estimate of the cost of AD, accounting not only for the initial episode, but all related costs incurred during long-term follow-up. Methods The study captures a cohort of patients who had an initial admission for AD from 1 January 2012-31 December 2012, and their treatment over a 6-year period. Cases were identified from a prospectively maintained database, with AD confirmed by computed tomography scan. The primary outcome was total healthcare cost related to AD. Results The study included 170 patients. The total cost was NZD1 956 859 with a median cost per patient of NZD4814. A total of 57% of the cost was incurred for the initial inpatient admission, with the remaining 43% incurred through re-admission, follow-up appointments, investigations and management. Half of the total cost was incurred by 11.8% of the cohort. In multivariate analysis, high cost of care was significantly associated with complicated and recurrent disease, operative intervention and length of stay. Conclusion This study provides an accurate estimate of the overall cost of AD and its sequelae. There are considerable long-term costs associated with the index episode and a large proportion of the expenditure is incurred by a small group that included those with complicated disease. These findings are important for healthcare resource allocation and for targeting health research funding.

Aims To assess the incidence of underlying colorectal malignancy in patients admitted as an emergency with a CT diagnosis of acute diverticulitis and determine the need for routine follow up colonoscopy Methods A retrospective study was performed on all patients who had been admitted to our surgical unit with CT diagnosed diverticulitis from September 2016 to September 2018 (n = 125). Results 11 patients (8.8%) required emergency resection with no underlying malignancy found. 76 patients (61%) had a follow up colonoscopy after being discharged. 4 patients were found to have an underlying colorectal malignancy, one of them suspected on CT and another an incidentally detected caecal polyp cancer. Therefore 3/87(3.4%) had an unexpected cancer diagnosis and all those in the diseased segment were within complicated diverticulitis. Conclusion Nowadays, multi-slice CT scanners are so good at giving an accurate assessment of colonic pathology. In our study, 96.6% of the patients with a CT diagnosis of acute diverticulitis had no underlying malignancy in the diseased segment with all the cancers within complicated diverticulitis. With such a low yield of underlying malignancy in uncomplicated diverticulitis, we question the need for routine follow up colonoscopy when there is no CT suspicion of malignancy in these patients

OBJECTIVES Acute diverticulitis is a common gastrointestinal illness due to diverticular inflammation and focal necrosis. Diabetes mellitus has been reported to influence the outcomes of patients with diverticular disease. Our study aimed to examine the inpatient outcomes and complications of patients with acute diverticulitis and coexisting diabetes mellitus. METHODS The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was used to identify adult patients in 2014 admitted for acute diverticulitis. Primary outcomes were mortality, length of stay (LOS), and total hospitalization charges. Secondary outcomes were complications of acute diverticulitis and interventions. RESULTS In total, 44 330 of patients with acute diverticulitis and diabetes mellitus were included in the analysis. Acute diverticulitis patients with diabetes mellitus had a higher rate of diverticular bleeding (P

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of unenhanced low‐dose CT (LDCT) in acute colonic diverticulitis in comparison with contrast‐enhanced standard‐dose CT (SDCT). Methods All patients with clinically suspected diverticulitis who underwent LDCT followed by SDCT between January and October 2017 were evaluated prospectively. CT examinations were assessed for signs of diverticulitis, complications and other differential diagnoses by three independent radiologists (two consultants and one fourth‐year resident) using SDCT as the reference method. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated and Cohen's κ coefficient was used for agreement analyses. Results Of the 149 patients included (mean age 66·7 years, M : F ratio 0·4), 107 (71·8 per cent) had imaging consistent with diverticulitis on standard CT. Sensitivity and specificity values for a diverticulitis diagnosis using LDCT were 95–99 and 86–100 per cent respectively, and respective values for identification of complications were 58–73 and 78–100 per cent. The corresponding κ values among the three readers for diagnosis were 0·984, 0·934 and 0·816, whereas κ values for complications were 0·680, 0·703 and 0·354. Of the 26 patients who presented with other causes of abdominal symptoms identified on standard CT, 23 were diagnosed correctly on LDCT. Missed cases included splenic infarction (1) and segmental colitis (2). Conclusion The diagnostic accuracy of LDCT was high for the presence of acute diverticulitis. However, as signs of complicated disease can be missed using the low‐dose protocol, use of LDCT as a primary examination method should not preclude SDCT when complications may be suspected., Unenhanced low‐dose CT (LDCT) is as accurate as contrast‐enhanced standard‐dose CT (SDCT) for detection of acute colonic diverticulitis. However, smaller complications, such as pericolic abscesses and small amounts of extraluminal air, can be missed. CT scan and diverticulitis

Purpose To perform a radiologic-pathologic correlation analysis of sigmoid colon in patients undergoing pre-operative CT Colonography (CTC) after an episode of acute diverticulitis (AD). Methods Fifty-nine consecutive patients (31/28 M/F; 58 ± 13 years) underwent CTC 55 ± 18 days after AD, 8 ± 4 weeks before surgery. Thirty-seven patients (63%) underwent conventional abdominal CT at time of AD. An experienced blinded radiologist retrospectively analyzed all images: disease severity was graded according to the Ambrosetti classification on conventional CT and according to the diverticular disease severity score (DDSS) on CTC. A GI pathologist performed a dedicated analysis, evaluating the presence of acute and chronic inflammation, and fibrosis, using 0–3 point scale for each variable. Results Of 59 patients, 41 (69%) had at least one previous AD episode; twenty-six patients (44%) had a complicated AD. DDSS was mild-moderate in 34/59 (58%), and severe in 25/59 (42%). All patients had chronic inflammation, while 90% had low-to-severe fibrosis. Patients with moderate/severe fibrosis were older than those with no/mild fibrosis (61 ± 13 versus 54 ± 13). We found a significant correlation between DDSS and chronic inflammation (p = 0.004), as well as DDSS and fibrosis (p = 0.005). Furthermore, fibrosis was correlated with complicated acute diverticulitis (p = 0.0.27), and with age (p = 0.067). At multivariate analysis, complicated diverticulitis was the best predictor of fibrosis (odds ratio 4.4). Patient age and DDSS were other independent predictors. Conclusion DDSS-based assessment on preoperative CTC was a good predictor of chronic colonic inflammation and fibrosis. In addition, the presence of complicated diverticulitis on CT during the acute episode was most predictive of fibrosis.

Abdominal surgical pathology in elderly patient is relevant because of two fundamental factors: life expectancy rises and some features of the elderly patients make the diagnosis and treatment a challenge. The prevalence of acute diverticulitis increases with age and usually is located in bowel sigmoid. Diagnosis relies on clinical history and computed tomography (CT). Treatment is conservative (antibiotics), surgery is required only if complications. The diagnosis of acute cholecystitis is based on clinical history and ultrasound; frequently, treatment is surgical with laparoscopic approach. The early diagnosis of acute intestinal ischemia is based on a high level of clinical suspicion and CT angiography is mandatory. Surgical treatment is based on revascularization and non-viable bowel resection. Sigmoid volvulus is the most frequent. Diagnosis is carried out using CT. Initial treatment is endoscopic decompression accompanied by delayed resection of redundant sigma.

BACKGROUND Diverticulitis is separated into complicated and uncomplicated, based on the patient's presentation at the time of his or her initial attack of acute diverticulitis. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for persistent complex diverticulitis, defined as an abscess, fistula, or stricture, at the time of elective surgery, and to characterize outcomes in this patient population. DESIGN This was a retrospective review of 2010 to 2016 in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database. SETTINGS Individuals diagnosed with diverticulitis who underwent elective surgery were included. PATIENTS A total of 1502 patients underwent elective surgery for diverticulitis, of which 559 (37%) patients had a surgical indication of persistent complex diverticulitis. INTERVENTIONS We performed logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors for complex diverticulitis and evaluated a new prediction model. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The predictive factors of persistent complex diverticulitis for elective colon resection were measured. RESULTS The patients with complex diverticulitis were older (p < 0.001), had worse functional status (p < 0.001), more comorbidities (diabetes mellitus and hypertension), and a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (2.7 vs 1.6, p < 0.001). They were more likely to have a history of tobacco or alcohol use (p < 0.001) and to be malnourished. Interestingly, patients found to have persistent complex diverticulitis did not have more episodes than patients with uncomplicated cases did (p = 0.67). Surgical time was longer in complex diverticulitis, and the patients were more likely to require diverting stomas and concurrent resections of adjacent structures. The area under the curve from the test set was (0.75; 95% CI, 0.72-0.78), sensitivity and specificity were 0.890 (95% CI, 0.870-0.891) and 0.450 (95% CI, 0.410-0.490). LIMITATIONS The study was limited by its retrospective review and observational bias. CONCLUSIONS Patients undergoing elective surgery for complex diverticulitis did not have more episodes. Instead, complex diverticulitis may be a reflection of a complicated patient, suggesting that complicated patients should have a different algorithm of care at the time of their initial presentation with diverticulitis to prevent the development of complex disease. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B183. ?PODEMOS PREDECIR DIVERTICULITIS QUIRURGICAMENTE COMPLEJA EN CASOS ELECTIVOS?: La diverticulitis se divide en complicada y sin complicaciones, segun la presentacion del paciente en el momento de su ataque inicial de diverticulitis aguda.El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar los factores de riesgo para la diverticulitis compleja persistente, definida como un absceso, fistula o estenosis, en el momento de la cirugia electiva, y caracterizar los resultados en esta poblacion de pacientes.Esta fue una revision retrospectiva del 2010-2016 en la base de datos del Proyecto de Mejora de la Calidad Quirurgica Nacional del Colegio Estadounidense de Cirujanos.Se incluyeron individuos diagnosticados con diverticulitis que se sometieron a cirugia electiva.1502 pacientes fueron sometidos a cirugia electiva por diverticulitis, de los cuales 559 (37%) pacientes tenian una indicacion quirurgica de diverticulitis compleja persistente.Realizamos un analisis de regresion logistica para identificar los factores de riesgo de diverticulitis compleja y evaluamos un nuevo modelo de prediccion.Se midieron los factores predictivos de diverticulitis compleja persistente para la reseccion de colon electiva.Los pacientes con diverticulitis compleja eran mayores (p

espanolLa diverticulosis colonica es una patologia muy frecuente en nuestro medio y uno de los hallazgos mas comunes durante la realizacion de la colonoscopia. La patogenesis de la enfermedad diverticular es multifactorial e incluye factores geneticos y ambientales, entre los que la microbiota intestinal comienza a tener un papel destacado. Se han considerado formas clinicas de la enfermedad la diverticulosis asintomatica, la enfermedad diverticular sintomatica sin complicaciones, la diverticulitis aguda y el sangrado diverticular. El manejo de las complicaciones de la diverticulosis esta en continua evolucion. En la diverticulitis aguda esta indicado el uso selectivo, no generalizado, de antibioticos. La reseccion quirurgica profilactica ha sido relegada a estadios mas avanzados y complicaciones concretas. EnglishColonic diverticulosis is a very common disease in our setting and one of the most common findings during colonoscopy. The pathogenesis of diverticular disease is multifactorial and includes genetic and environmental factors, among which the intestinal microbiota plays a prominent role. Clinical forms of the disease include asymptomatic diverticulosis, symptomatic diverticular disease without complications, acute diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding. The management of the complications of diverticulosis is continuously evolving. For acute diverticulitis, the selective, nongeneralised use of antibiotics is indicated. Prophylactic surgical resection has been relegated to more advanced stages and specific complications.

espanolLa anamnesis y la exploracion clinica son esenciales para una correcta orientacion diagnostica del dolor en fosa iliaca izquierda. Las causas digestivas son las mas frecuentes, destacando la diverticulitis aguda. El uso de la radiologia simple esta quedando relegado a la evaluacion inicial de procesos obstructivos o a la sospecha de perforacion de viscera hueca. La ecografia de abdomen aporta mucha informacion en manos expertas, siendo la tomografia computarizada la prueba diagnostica de referencia, con una sensibilidad y especificidad en torno al 90-100% para el diagnostico de la diverticulitis aguda y sus complicaciones. EnglishAnamnesis and clinical examinations are essential for the proper diagnosis of left iliac fossa pain. Gastrointestinal causes are the most common, especially acute diverticulitis. The use of simple radiology is being relegated to the initial assessment of obstructive processes and to suspected hollow viscus perforation. In the hands of experts, abdomen ultrasonography can provide significant information; however, computed tomography is the reference diagnostic test, with a sensitivity and specificity of 90-100% for diagnosing acute diverticulitis and its complications.

The effect of selective perioperative intestinal decontamination in patients with acute sigmoid diverticulitis complicated by covered perforation on the number of postoperative complications was described. A prospective and partially retrospective study of the results of complex treatment of 196 patients with acute diverticulitis localized in the sigmoid colon, complicated by covered perforation, divided into group А - 66 patients with perioperative selective intestinal decontamination and group B -130 patients without decontamination. Rectal resection by open, laparoscopic and robot-assisted methods with the formation of primary colorectal anastomoses was performed in all cases. Of the 196 patients included in our study, 122 (62,2 %) underwent surgery without complications. Abdominal postoperative complications directly caused by surgical interventions and related, according to the classification of Clavien-Dindo surgical complications (C-D) to grades I, IIIb and IV, were noted in 9 (13,6 %) patients of group A and 36 (27,6 %) patients of group B, and extraabdominal (C-D I, IV), which included: pneumonia, acute renal failure, pyelonephritis, urosepsis, postoperative delirium and transient ischemic attack - in 8 (12,1 %) and 21 (16,1 %) patients of the corresponding groups. In group A, there was a significantly lower number of general abdominal and wound complications, as well as the total number of all postoperative complications (p = 0,03, p = 0,04 and p = 0,0111 respectively). There were no fatalities. The used scheme of oral antibiotic therapy, along with orthograde intestinal sanitation with osmolar solutions, significantly reduced the frequency of surgical and non-surgical complications.

BACKGROUND The true incidence of, and risk factors for, readmission for treatment failure after nonoperative management of acute diverticulitis remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to describe the incidence and risk factors for readmission for treatment failure after nonoperative management of acute diverticulitis using a large national database. DESIGN This was a retrospective cohort study. SETTINGS A representative sample of admissions and discharges from hospitals in the United States captured in the National Readmissions Database were included. PATIENTS Adult patients (age ≥18 y) admitted with a primary diagnostic of colonic diverticulitis between 2010 and 2015 and who were managed nonoperatively and discharged from hospital alive were included. INTERVENTIONS Study intervention included nonoperative management, consisting of medical therapy with or without percutaneous drainage. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Readmission for treatment failure (defined as a nonelective readmission for diverticulitis within 90 d of discharge), complicated treatment failure (defined as a treatment failure with complicated diverticulitis), and time-to-treatment failure were measured. RESULTS In total, 201,384 patients were included. The overall incidence of readmission for treatment failure was 6.6%. Treatment failure was significantly higher among patients with an index episode of acute complicated diverticulitis compared with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis (12.5% vs 5.7%; p < 0.001). The median time-to-readmission for treatment failure was 21.0 days (range, 20.4-21.6 d), and 85% of all readmissions occurred within 60 days of discharge. On multiple logistic regression, factors independently associated with readmission for treatment failure were an index admission of complicated diverticulitis (OR = 2.06 (95% CI, 1.97-2.16)), disposition on discharge (against medical advice: OR = 1.92 (95% CI, 1.66-2.20); home health care arrangements: OR = 1.24 (95% CI, 1.16-1.33)), and immunosuppression (OR = 1.42 (95% CI, 1.28-1.57)), among others. Risk factors for a complicated treatment failure were also described, after an index episode of complicated and uncomplicated diverticulitis. LIMITATIONS The study was limited by residual confounding from missing covariates and its observational study design. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of readmission for treatment failure after an episode of diverticulitis managed nonoperatively is 6.6%, and an index episode of complicated diverticulitis is the strongest risk factor for treatment failure. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B92. REINGRESO POR FRACASO DEL TRATAMIENTO DESPUES DEL TRATAMIENTO NO QUIRURGICO DE LA DIVERTICULITIS AGUDA: UN ANALISIS DE LA BASE DE DATOS DE REINGRESOS A NIVEL NACIONAL: La verdadera incidencia y los factores de riesgo para el reingreso por fracaso del tratamiento despues de manejo no quirurgico de la diverticulitis aguda siguen siendo mal definidos.Definir la incidencia y los factores de riesgo de reingreso por fracaso del tratamiento no quirurgico de la diverticulitis aguda utilizando una base de datos nacional.Estudio de cohorte retrospectivo.Una muestra representativa de ingresos y egresos de hospitales en los Estados Unidos capturados en la base de datos nacional de reingresos hospitalarios.Pacientes adultos (≥18 anos) ingresados con un diagnostico primario de diverticulitis colonica entre 2010-2015, y que fueron tratados de forma no operativa y dados de alta del hospital vivos.Manejo no quirurgico, que consiste en terapia medica con o sin drenaje percutaneo.Reingreso por fracaso del tratamiento (definido como un reingreso no electivo por diverticulitis dentro de los 90 dias despues de ser dados de alta), fracaso del tratamiento complicado (definido como un fracaso del tratamiento con diverticulitis complicada) y el tiempo hasta el tratamiento en casos fracasaados.201.384 pacientes incluidos en total. La incidencia global de reingreso por fracaso del tratamiento fue del 6,6%. El fracaso del tratamiento fue significativamente mayor entre los pacientes con un episodio indice de diverticulitis aguda complicada en comparacion con la diverticulitis aguda no complicada (12.5% vs. 5.7%, p

Background and Aim: The Nutritional Risk Security (NRS2002) System is recommended for hospitalized patients in order to assess their nutritional status. However, studies assessing large-scale systematic screening policies are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of implementing a screening strategy concerning all admissions for diverticular disease (DD) of the colon in the Department of Medicine of a Tertiary Hospital. Methods: All patients suffering from acute diverticulitis (AD) and admitted to the Medicine Department from January 1st to 31 December 2017, were pre-screened by NRS2002 System by the nursing staff of the Nutritional team at the day of the admission. If the pre-screening was positive, the patients were referred to a supplementary assessment performed by a dietician. Results: The global number of admissions in the observational period was 4,667 and 133 patients suffered from AD. A positive pre-screening test was recorded in 97 (72.9%) patients: a NRS2002 score > 3, describing a severe impaired nutritional status was found in 61 patients (62.9%). All 97 patients with a NRS2002 positive screening received initial nutritional support by oral supplements (17 patients, 17.52%) or enteral nutrition (22 patients, 22.68%) or total parenteral nutrition (58 patients, 59.8%). The mean length of hospital stay for all 133 patients was 6,9 days. However, the length of hospital stay was significantly longer for patients with a positive NRS2002, with a mean of 18 days (p= 0.01) Conclusions: A large number of hospitalized patients due to AD are at nutritional risk and have a significantly longer hospital stay.

Background and Objectives: Acute diverticulitis (AD) is the leading and most burdensome complication of colonic diverticulosis. However, risk factors for its development and predictors of its course are still poorly defined. In this regard, the association of a young age with a complicated course and worse outcome are still controversial. Moreover, little research has addressed the effect of ethnicity on the course of AD. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of these variables on AD’s course and outcome in the diverse and unique ethnic landscape of Israel. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective review of the charts of patients with a radiologically confirmed diagnosis of AD. Patients’ outcomes and disease course, including hospitalization duration, complications, and recurrent episodes, were documented and compared among different age and ethnic groups. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify predictors of complicated AD. Results: Overall, 637 patients with AD were included, the majority (95%) had distal colon AD, and almost one quarter of them were aged less than 50 years. The majority of patients in the young age (&lt, 50) group were males (69.7%). Nonetheless, the rate of recurrent episodes (35.3% vs. 37.3%, p = 0.19), hospitalization duration (5 ± 4.7 vs. 6 ± 3.2, p = 0.09) and complications rate (17.3% vs. 13.7%, p = 0.16) were similar for both age groups. In the ethnicity group analysis, Arab minority patients had a first episode of AD at a significantly younger age compared to their Jewish counterparts (51.8 vs. 59.4 years, p &lt, 0.001). However, factors such as a complicated course (16% vs. 15%, p = 0.08) and relapsing episode rates (33% vs. 38%, p = 0.36) did not differ significantly between groups. None of the variables, including young age and ethnic group, were predictors of complicated AD course in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion: AD is increasingly encountered in young patients, especially in ethnic minority groups, but neither ethnicity nor young age was associated with worse outcomes.

Aims To compare the demographic and prognostic outcomes of right-sided versus left-sided acute colonic diverticulitis Methods We performed a systematic review in accordance with the PRISMA statement standards to identify all observational studies comparing demographic factors and outcomes of right-sided versus left-sided acute colonic diverticulitis. We used the ROBINS-I tool to assess the risk of bias of included studies. Random effects modelling was applied to calculate pooled outcome data. Results Analysis of 2933 patients from nine studies suggests that right-sided diverticulitis affects younger patients (MD:-14.16,P Conclusions Right-sided acute colonic diverticulitis predominantly affects younger male patients compared with left-sided disease and is associated with favourable outcomes as indicated by the lower risk of complications, failure of conservative management, need for emergency surgery, recurrence, and shorter length of hospital stay. More studies are required to compare the postoperative outcomes in patients with right-sided and left-sided diverticulitis undergoing emergency surgery.

Aims Of the 25% of people with diverticula who develop symptomatic diverticular disease, approximately 75% will have at least one episode of diverticulitis. However according to the latest NICE guidance those with diverticulitis who are not systemically unwell may not require either admission or antibiotics. In the financially austere environment facing the NHS within the COVID 19 pandemic, prudence in such resource allocation is of vital importance. We aim to review management of patients with acute diverticulitis over a 6-month period in a district general hospital against the 2019 NICE guidelines. Methods 29 patients presenting with acute diverticulitis, M:F ratio 12:17, median age 55 (range 24-82), median ASA 2 (range 0-3) were retrospectively reviewed. Biochemical markers, lactate and vital signs were used to assess if attending patients were systemically unwell. Results 23 patients were admitted and 6 managed as outpatients via the surgical ambulatory unit. Of the 29 patient cohort, 9 (31%) were systemically unwell. All 9 unwell patients received antibiotics. Of the 20 patients not considered systemically unwell, 11 (55%) received antibiotics. 16 (80%) that were admitted did not require admission on retrospective review. Conclusion Prompt administration of intravenous antibiotics for septic patients with diverticulitis reduces associated morbidity and mortality and the observed adherence to this principle is encouraging. For systemically well patients, increased clinical discernment is required to consider managing patients in the surgical ambulatory setting, avoiding unnecessary admissions. Similar caution must be used in appropriate use of antimicrobials to avoid unnecessary adverse consequences.

Aim Incidence of perforated sigmoid diverticular disease is estimated at 3.4 to 4.5 per 100,000. Perforation may be the first manifestation of complicated diverticulitis with a range of 50% to 70%. We aim to review management of systemically unwell patients with acute diverticulitis in a district general hospital against the 2019 NICE guidelines. Methods 29 patients presenting septic with acute diverticulitis, M:F ratio 12:17, median age 55 (range 24-82), median ASA 2 (range 0-3) were retrospectively reviewed over a 6-month period. Results Mean time to antibiotics was 3.96 hours (range 0-23.11). Of the 7 with perforated diverticulitis severity classification included: Hinchey I – n = 1, 3.4%; Hinchey IIa – 5 (17.2%), and; Hinchey IIb – 1 (3.4%). Time to CT abdomen pelvis was 3.38 hours (range 0-16.4 hours). Two pericolic abscesses met NICE drainage criteria at 3.7 cm and 3.9 cm respectively. The 3.7 cm abscess was drained radiologically at 7 days post-admission and was re-admitted 6 days later requiring further radiological drainage. The patient with a 3.9 cm abscess received a Hartmann’s procedure and had multiple re-admissions requiring a hospital stay of 34 days. There was 0% mortality at 30 days. Conclusion Management of acute diverticulitis continues to present a unique challenge. For systemically unwell patients, timely administration of antibiotics within an hour of sepsis recognition is encouraged to optimise outcomes. Timely cross-sectional imaging is pivotal in disease classification and decision-making regarding acute management. Interventional drainage and surgical resection remain important therapeutic strategies for unwell patients with Hinchey grade II diverticulitis.

Aim Currently standard practice is for patients diagnosed with diverticulitis to undergo endoscopic evaluation of the colon following the acute episode. The primary aim of endoscopy is to exclude underlying malignancy which may have been undetectable on initial CT scanning. We aim to determine if endoscopic evaluation of the colon is necessary for all patients. Methods All patients with CT proven diverticulitis were included between May 2017 and July 2018. Medical records, CT and endoscopy reports of 154 consecutive patients were retrospectively reviewed. Based on the CT reports, diverticulitis was classified as either uncomplicated (colonic wall thickening, pericolic fat stranding) or complicated (perforation, abscess, generalised free air and/or fluid). Results There were 154 patients included in the study. 59% percent were male. Median age at the time of diagnosis was 56 years old. There were 114 patients with uncomplicated and 40 patients with complicated diverticulitis. 79 patients (50 flexible sigmoidoscopy, 29 colonoscopy) with uncomplicated diverticulitis and 21 patients (15 flexible sigmoidoscopy, 6 colonoscopy) with complicated diverticulitis underwent endoscopy. Of the patients that underwent endoscopy, one patient (1.3%) with uncomplicated disease and one patient (4.8%) with complicated disease were found to have colorectal cancer (both rectal). Neither of these were associated with the diverticular segment. Conclusions Our data shows that routine endoscopic evaluation of the colon after an episode of acute diverticulitis may not be necessary in all cases. Patient numbers in this study are small therefore further work is required to draw conclusions which could influence future clinical practice.

Introduction The current Royal College of Surgeons commissioning guideline on colonic diverticular disease suggests that patients should undergo endoscopic evaluation of the colonic lumen after an episode of computed tomography (CT) proven acute diverticulitis to rule out malignancy. The necessity of routine endoscopic assessment of CT proven diverticulitis remains debatable. Aim To establish whether routine endoscopic assessment should be carried out for patients after an episode of acute diverticulitis. Method Data was collected retrospectively from all patients diagnosed with acute diverticulitis on CT and who subsequently had follow up endoscopic assessment from January to July 2019. Results Total number of patients were 64.Median age of the cohort was 58.Of all patients, 48 had diagnosis of uncomplicated diverticulitis whereas 16 patients had diagnosis of complicated diverticulitis on CT scan. All patients had follow up colonoscopy after an acute attack with following findings: 2 patients had no pathology, 56 patients had diagnosis of only diverticulosis, 4 patients had both diverticulosis and polyps and 2 patients had bowel cancer. All 4 cases of polyps had benign pathology and uncomplicated diverticulitis on CT scan. Two bowel cancer patients, one had complicated diverticulitis with thickening of proximal sigmoid and the other patient had abnormal sigmoid colon suggestive of malignancy on CT scan. Conclusion Recent meta-analysis showed no difference between diverticulitis and normal population group in terms of risk of bowel cancer. Routine colonoscopy may not be appropriate in patients with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis but endoscopic assessment after an episode of complicated diverticulitis is necessary.

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Acute diverticulitis is one of the most common surgical causes of admission to Emergency Departments in Western Countries. Although most of the cases can be managed conservatively or electively, a number of them will require an emergency surgical treatment. Among these patients, an even smaller number of them will present with a full-blown catastrophic septic shock. These minorities of cases have accounted for a significant part of the overall mortality and morbidity of complicated acute diverticulitis itself. The implementation of Damage Control strategies has shown to be useful also in these septic catastrophes, where a profound derangement of physiology makes unsafe a classic approach. Damage Control, as we intend it, is not a surgical “technique.” A close collaboration between different specialties brought forth a strategy of treatment. The Surgeon, the Anesthetist, and the Intensivist are the three most involved specialists in the treatment of these cases. It is paramount for them to learn how to work side by side and in harmony, since the patients will benefit from each-one’s input in their care.

Despite low-quality and conflicting evidence, the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland recommends the routine use of antibiotics in the treatment of uncomplicated acute diverticulitis. Recent studies have shown that treatment without antibiotics did not prolong recovery. Some new guidelines currently recommend selective use of antibiotics.The purpose of this study was to compare the safety, effectiveness, and outcomes in treating uncomplicated acute diverticulitis without antibiotics with treatment with antibiotics.PubMed, Embase, Clinicaltrials.gov, and the Cochrane Library were searched with the key words antibiotics and diverticulitis.All studies published in English on treating uncomplicated acute diverticulitis without antibiotics and containing20 individuals were included.Treatment without antibiotics versus treatment with antibiotics were compared.The primary outcome was the percentage of patients requiring additional treatment or intervention to settle during the initial episode. The secondary outcomes were duration of hospital stay, rate of readmission or deferred admission, need for surgical or radiological intervention, recurrence, and complication.Search yielded 1164 studies. Nine studies were eligible and included in the meta-analysis, composed of 2505 patients, including 1663 treated without antibiotics and 842 treated with an antibiotic. The no-antibiotics group had a significantly shorter hospital stay (mean difference = -0.68; p = 0.04). There was no significant difference in the percentage of patients requiring additional treatment or intervention to settle during the initial episode (5.3% vs 3.6%; risk ratio = 1.48; p = 0.28), rate of readmission or deferred admission (risk ratio = 1.17; p = 0.26), need for surgical or radiological intervention (risk ratio = 0.61; p = 0.34), recurrence (risk ratio = 0.83; p = 0.21), and complications (risk ratio = 0.70-1.18; p = 0.67-0.91).Only a limited number of studies were available, and they were of variable qualities.Treatment of uncomplicated acute diverticulitis without antibiotics is associated with a significantly shorter hospital stay. There is no significant difference in the percentage of patients requiring additional treatment or intervention to settle in the initial episode, rate of readmission or deferred admission, need for surgical or radiological intervention, recurrence, or complications.

The growing demand for computed tomography studies clashes with the restrictions on the use of ionizing radiation that are being reflected more and more clearly in good practice guidelines and legislation. One paradigmatic example is the diagnosis of acute diverticulitis, for which a increasing amount of computed tomography studies are being demanded with the justification that they are clinically necessary and more reliable than ultrasound studies. The present paper reviews the scientific evidence about the diagnostic validity of ultrasonography and computed tomography in the diagnosis of acute diverticulitis of the colon.

BACKGROUND The current guidelines suggest that patients should undergo endoscopic evaluation of the colonic lumen after an episode of computed tomography (CT) proven acute diverticulitis to rule out malignancy. The usefulness of routine endoscopic evaluation of CT proven diverticulitis remains unknown. AIM To establish whether routine colonoscopy should be offered to patients after an episode of diverticulitis. METHODS We performed a retrospective study, comparing two groups: a diverticulitis group and a control group. The diverticulitis group consisted of patients undergoing a colonoscopy after an episode of diverticulitis. The control group consisted of asymptomatic patients undergoing a screening sigmoidoscopy. We also performed a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched electronic data resources to identify all relevant studies. The primary outcome was the number of adenomas found, while the secondary outcomes were the number of cancers and polyps identified, and the adenoma risk. RESULTS 68 and 1309 patients were included in the diverticulitis and control groups respectively. There was no difference in the risk of adenomas (5.9% vs 7.6%, P = 0.59), non-advanced adenomas (5.9% vs 6.9%, P = 0.75), advanced adenomas (0% vs 0.8%, P = 1), cancer (0% vs 0.15%, P = 1.00), and polyps (16.2% vs 14.2%, P = 0.65) between both groups. Meta-analysis of data from 4 retrospective observational studies, enrolling 4459 patients, showed no difference between the groups in terms of risk of adenomas (RD = -0.05, 95%CI: -0.11, 0.01, P = 0.10), non-advanced adenomas (RD = -0.02, 95%CI: -0.08, 0.04, P = 0.44), advanced adenomas (RD = -0.01, 95%CI: -0.04, 0.02, P = 0.36), cancer (RD = 0.01, 95%CI: -0.01, 0.03, P = 0.32), and polyps (RD = -0.05, 95%CI: -0.12, 0.02, P = 0.18). CONCLUSION Routine colonoscopy may not be appropriate in patients with acute diverticulitis. High quality prospective studies are required for more robust conclusions.

BACKGROUND There is increasing evidence that uncomplicated acute diverticulitis (UAD) can be safely and effectively managed as an outpatient. The aim of the current study was to evaluate if an early computed tomography (CT) scan in the emergency department (ED) can reduce the number of hospital admissions when UAD is diagnosed, without compromising patient safety. METHODS A protocol was introduced in 2015, whereby patients with suspected diverticulitis receive a CT scan on presentation to the ED and be considered for discharge home on oral antibiotics if UAD is confirmed. A retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database was conducted for all patients presenting to the ED with acute diverticulitis over a 4-year period: 2 years prior (May 2013-April 2015; pre-protocol) and 2 years after implementation of the protocol (May 2015-April 2017; post-protocol). RESULTS A total of 1147 patients presented to the ED, who were diagnosed with diverticulitis, and UAD was confirmed in 552 patients. There was a significant decrease in hospital admissions for UAD in the post-protocol group from 93% to 39% (P