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A 47-year-old woman presented to a tertiary emergency department with an 8-day history of odynophagia, a 4 cm swelling on her left neck and intermittent fevers. Shortly following her birth, a congenital oesophageal atresia had been managed surgically with colonic interposition graft. Contrast CT of the neck demonstrated several large diverticula within her interposition graft at the level of the cervical vertebrae. A colocutaneous fistula was identified between the colon and left neck, with an associated abscess. The patient received intravenous meropenem followed by abscess drainage. A high output fistula developed at the drainage site, and the patient required intravenous fluids and stoma placement to manage fluid discharge. She left the hospital after a 17-day stay. At 6-month follow-up, the wound was erythematous, but the patient was otherwise well. We believe that this is the first reported case of diverticular disease arising in what was originally neonatal colon interposed for oesophageal atresia at birth., (2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

An appendiceal neurofibroma (ANF) is a rare neoplasm associated with neurofibromatosis type 1(NF-1), an inheritable neurocutaneous disorder that involves multiple systems including the intraabdominal organs. Appendiceal diverticulitis occasionally ruptures in the absence of intense abdominal pain, which can lead to serious consequences. Recent reports highlight the association between appendiceal diverticulum and appendiceal neoplasms; however, there is still little information on the association between appendiceal diverticulitis and ANF in NF-1. A 51-year-old Japanese male with NF-1 was referred to the division of surgery for mild right lower quadrant pain. It was suspected he had perforated acute appendicitis with periappendiceal abscess based on clinical manifestations and findings of computed tomography. An emergency appendectomy was conducted. The pathological examination revealed diffusely proliferated tumor cells of a neurofibroma, coexistent with multiple appendiceal diverticulums, leading to the diagnosis of perforated appendiceal diverticulitis associated with ANF. Although he developed a remnant abscess, he recovered with the conservative treatments of antibiotics and drainage. This case suggests that appendiceal diverticulitis might be a complication of appendiceal involvement of NF-1, and that it occasionally ruptures in the absence of intense abdominal pain. Clinicians should recognize that NF-1 can cause various abdominal manifestations.

Over the last decade there has been a striking shift in our understanding of the epidemiology, pathology, and management of diverticular disease. Indeed, many of the guidelines published in the late nineties and early 2000s are now redundant. High-fiber diets, avoidance of nuts and seeds, antibiotic treatment for mild diverticulitis, elective resection after 2 attacks of diverticulitis, Hartmann's procedure (HP), and aggressive management of young patients are all open to question. The more we challenge our understanding of diverticulitis it becomes apparent how little we know about this disease entity. This review aims update the reader on current hypotheses and evidencebased modern management strategies in diverticular disease.

Background: Immunosuppression could increase the complication rate in patients with acute diverticulitis. This would justify a low threshold for elective sigmoid resection in these patients after an episode of diverticulitis. Well-documented groups of immunocompromised patients are transplant patients, in which many prospective studies have been conducted., Objectives: The aim of this systematic review is to assess the incidence of complicated diverticulitis in post-transplant patients., Data Source: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases for papers published between January 1966 and January 2014., Study Selection and Intervention: Publications dealing with post-transplant patients and left-sided diverticulitis were eligible for inclusion. The following exclusion criteria were used for study selection: abstracts, case-series and non-English articles., Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcome measure was the incidence of complicated diverticulitis. Secondary outcome was the incidence of acute diverticulitis and the proportion of complicated diverticulitis. Pooling of data was only performed when more than five reported on the outcome of interest with comparable cohorts. Only studies describing proportion of complicated diverticulitis and renal transplant studies were eligible for pooling data., Results: Seventeen articles met the inclusion criteria. Nine renal transplant cohorts, four mixed lung-heart-heart lung transplant cohorts, two heart transplant cohorts, and two lung cohorts. A total of 11,966 post-transplant patients were included in the present review. Overall incidence of complicated diverticulitis in all transplantation studies ranged from 0.1 to 3.5%. Nine studies only included renal transplant patients. Pooled incidence of complicated diverticulitis in these patients was 1.0% (95% CI 0.6 to 1.5%). Ten studies provided proportion of complicated diverticulitis. Pooled incidence of acute diverticulitis in these studies was 1.7% (95% CI 1.0 to 2.7%). Pooled proportion of complicated diverticulitis among these patients was 40.1% (95% CI 32.2 to 49.7%). All studies were of moderate quality using the MINORS scoring scale., Conclusion: The incidence of complicated diverticulitis is about one in 100 transplant patients. Additionally when a transplant patient develops an episode of acute diverticulitis, a high proportion of patients have a complicated disease course.

A duodenal diverticulum is a commonly encountered entity in gastrointestinal radiology with a wide variety of appearances. The purpose of this review is to describe the normal anatomy and embryology of the duodenum, discuss the differences between a true versus intraluminal duodenal diverticulum, and to highlight the normal appearance, potential complications, and imaging pitfalls of duodenal diverticula., (Copyright © 2014 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Our objective was to analyze demographics and characteristics of Meckel's diverticulum with different manifestations in pediatric patients., Methods: This is a retrospective study in children with symptomatic Meckel's diverticulum who underwent resection between September 1998 and October 2010. The diagnosis was confirmed by surgery and pathology. Demographic characteristics, manifestations, Meckel's scan results, surgical and histological findings were analyzed., Results: One hundred symptomatic Meckel's diverticula were identified in 74 boys and 26 girls aged from one day to 18 years old over 13 years. Depending on whether or not obstruction occurred, the patients were classified into two categories. Each category was further subdivided into two diagnostic groups: 17 intussusception and 24 non-intussusception bowel obstruction in the obstructive category and 44 gastrointestinal bleeding and 15 diverticulitis and/or perforation in the non-obstructive category. The sex discrepancy was higher in the non-obstructive category than in the obstructive category (male-to-female, 4.36 vs. 1.73, p < 0.05). Forty-one of 44 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding underwent a Meckel's scan with a high positive rate (92.7%). The ectopic tissues were identified in 73 patients and included 61 gastric type, two pancreatic type and 10 mixed type. Ectopic tissues were more prevalent in non-obstructive category (p < 0.05) with ectopic gastric tissue even more pronounced (p < 0.01). Ectopic pancreatic tissue was significantly more prevalent in intussusception (p < 0.01). Laparoscopic surgery was performed more frequently in Meckel's diverticulum with non-obstructive symptoms (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Diverse presentations in pediatric Meckel's diverticulum are affected by different ectopic tissue types and male sex. Laparoscopic surgery is widely used for children with non-obstructive symptoms., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Introduction: This study aims to investigate possible risk factors for diverticulitis in kidney transplant recipients affected by colonic diverticulosis., Methods and Results: We investigated 717 patients transplanted between 2000 and 2010. Diverticular disease was endoscopically diagnosed in 17 of 717 examined patients. Eight patients were diagnosed with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD); 9 of 17 patients underwent emergency surgery. We performed Hartmann's procedure on all patients, with a second stage performed at least 6 months later., Discussion: Although the incidence of colonic diverticular perforation in kidney transplanted patients is similar to that observed in the general population, perforation in immunosuppressed patients is associated with a higher morbidity/mortality rate. In our study, the incidence of perforation is 1.25% (9 of 717), with almost half of the cases observed in patients with ADPKD (4 of 9). Such an observation is consistent with published data, in which patients with ADPKD are reported to more frequently develop colonic diverticulosis and its complications. One possible explanation might be related to a belated diagnosis of diverticulitis, which could initially simulate an inflammatory disease as a consequence of renal cysts. Also, steroids seem to be a predisposing factor for colonic perforation in these patients., Conclusions: A timely surgery can significantly reduce mortality. In cases of elective surgery, mortality and morbidity are similar to those of immunocompetent patients; accordingly, this is the goal to be pursued. Early signs and symptoms are often masked by immunosuppressive therapy. In these patients, surgeons should always perform (1) abdominal computed tomography scanning and, in the presence of diverticulitis, reduce or withdraw immunosuppressive therapy; and (2) early surgery, with Hartmann's procedure being, in our opinion, the best choice. Before transplantation, elective surgery for colonic resection should be considered in patients with ADPKD or with a history of 1 or more episodes of acute diverticulitis who then regressed with medical therapy., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Previous prospective studies have found the incidence of intestinal diverticular disease decreased with increasing intakes of dietary fibre, but associations by the fibre source are less well characterised. We assessed these associations in a large UK prospective study of middle-aged women., Methods and Findings: During 6 (SD 1) years follow-up of 690 075 women without known diverticular disease who had not changed their diet in the last 5 years, 17 325 were admitted to hospital or died with diverticular disease. Dietary fibre intake was assessed using a validated 40-item food questionnaire and remeasured 1 year later in 4265 randomly-selected women. Mean total dietary fibre intake at baseline was 13.8 (SD 5.0) g/day, of which 42% came from cereals, 22% from fruits, 19% from vegetables (not potatoes) and 15% from potatoes. The relative risk (95% CI) for diverticular disease per 5 g/day fibre intake was 0.86 (0.84 to 0.88). There was significant heterogeneity by the four main sources of fibre (p<0.0001), with relative risks, adjusted for each of the other sources of dietary fibre of 0.84 (0.81 to 0.88) per 5 g/day for cereal, 0.81 (0.77 to 0.86) per 5 g/day for fruit, 1.03 (0.93 to 1.14) per 5 g/day for vegetable and 1.04 (1.02 to 1.07) per 1 g/day for potato fibre., Conclusions: A higher intake of dietary fibre is associated with a reduced risk of diverticular disease. The associations with diverticular disease appear to vary by fibre source, and the reasons for this variation are unclear., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.)

Background: Meckel's diverticulum is the most frequent congenital abnormality of the gastrointestinal tract. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult due to its variable clinical presentation that can simulate several causes of gastrointestinal bleeding or abdominal pain., Clinical Case: We present the case of a 61-year-old female patient with multiple abdominal surgeries who developed intestinal occlusion during several admissions beginning 8 months earlier. She was treated with conservative measures. During her last admission, she developed dehydration, persistent abdominal pain and bowel dilation with failure to respond to conservative treatment. Surgical intervention was decided upon, ruling out adhesions and revealing the presence of two diverticular defects at 40 and 70 cm from the ileocecal valve with torsion. Histological report described gastric heterotrophic mucosa and inflammatory hemorrhagic process., Conclusion: Presence of duplicated Meckel's diverticulum is a rare finding with only nine reports in the international literature to date. Diagnosis is frequently made during surgery. Treatment for symptomatic diverticulum is surgical, whereas management for asymptomatic diverticulum is controversial and relies on the surgeon's decision and clinical characteristics of the patient.

Importance: Diverticulitis is a common disease. Recent changes in understanding its natural history have substantially modified treatment paradigms., Objective: To review the etiology and natural history of diverticulitis and recent changes in treatment guidelines., Evidence Review: We searched the MEDLINE and Cochrane databases for English-language articles pertaining to diagnosis and management of diverticulitis published between January 1, 2000, and March 31, 2013. Search terms applied to 4 thematic topics: pathophysiology, natural history, medical management, and indications for surgery. We excluded small case series and articles based on data accrued prior to 2000. We hand searched the bibliographies of included studies, yielding a total of 186 articles for full review. We graded the level of evidence and classified recommendations by size of treatment effect, according to the guidelines from the American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines., Findings: Eighty articles met criteria for analysis. The pathophysiology of diverticulitis is associated with altered gut motility, increased luminal pressure, and a disordered colonic microenvironment. Several studies examined histologic commonalities with inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome but were focused on associative rather than causal pathways. The natural history of uncomplicated diverticulitis is often benign. For example, in a cohort study of 2366 of 3165 patients hospitalized for acute diverticulitis and followed up for 8.9 years, only 13.3% of patients had a recurrence and 3.9%, a second recurrence. In contrast to what was previously thought, the risk of septic peritonitis is reduced and not increased with each recurrence. Patient-reported outcomes studies show 20% to 35% of patients managed nonoperatively progress to chronic abdominal pain compared with 5% to 25% of patients treated operatively. Randomized trials and cohort studies have shown that antibiotics and fiber were not as beneficial as previously thought and that mesalamine might be useful. Surgical therapy for chronic disease is not always warranted., Conclusions and Relevance: Recent studies demonstrate a lesser role for aggressive antibiotic or surgical intervention for chronic or recurrent diverticulitis than was previously thought necessary.

A 75-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with dysphagia shortly after the onset of a brainstem infarction. Videofluorography indicated the presence of a Zenker's diverticulum with a bolus at the esophageal orifice; endoscopy 5 years earlier had not shown a Zenker's diverticulum and suggests that the diverticulum had formed because of an increase in the hypopharyngeal pressure caused by the brainstem infarction. Surgical excision successfully facilitated transport of the bolus to the esophageal orifice. In the present report, we describe a case of dysphagia caused by a Zenker's diverticulum following and associated with a brain infarction.

Diverticulosis and its major complications, diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding, are increasingly common indications for hospitalization and outpatient visits. Recent publications in the field of diverticular disease have challenged long-standing disease concepts and management strategies. This article will highlight studies which have helped to clarify the contribution of genetic factors, fiber consumption and medication use to the development of diverticular disease, the role of antibiotics in the treatment of acute diverticulitis, and the association between diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and colon cancer.

Aim: A series of rare complicated duodenal diverticula were reported with emphasis on causes for misdiagnosis., Material and Methods: Patients with a discharge diagnosis of complicated duodenal diverticulum were retrospectively obtained. Computed tomographic (CT) reports and findings were reviewed., Results: Complications consisted of diverticulitis (n=2), perforation (n=7), or obstructive cholangitis (n=2). CT imaging demonstrated a duodenal diverticular structure with findings due to the kind of complications. At the time of CT interpretation, a complicated duodenal diverticulum was suspected in 5 out of 11 patients., Conclusion: Awareness of the duodenal diverticulum and complications may improve the diagnostic value of CT in this setting., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and recurrent diverticulitis, complication rate, and location of disease in an ambulatory population. A retrospective chart review was performed using patients with computed tomography-documented diverticulitis in a New York outpatient gastroenterology practice. Total episodes, location of disease, complications, and BMI and age at first episode were recorded. A random control group was formed using patients with diverticulosis from the same practice. Controls' BMI and age at last colonoscopy were recorded. Descriptive statistics and Student's t test were used with alpha set at p < .05. Patients with diverticulitis were significantly more overweight than patients with diverticulosis (p < .05); however, among ambulatory patients with diverticulitis, there was no significant difference in the BMI of patients with a single episode when compared with those with recurrent disease. Furthermore, there was no association between BMI and complication rate or location of disease.

The involvement of the gut by Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is very rare in adults; however this is usually observed with a disseminated disease in children. We report a 75-year-old male patient who underwent right hemicolectomy for a complicated intestinal diverticular disease. The surgical specimen revealed LCH-like proliferative lesion associated with diverticulitis. The overall morphological and immunohistochemical findings are indistinguishable from LCH. Systemic scans and subsequently performed bone marrow biopsies were free of disease. Although the HUMARA clonality assay cannot be assessed, the lack of evidence of LCH progression or disease elsewhere in the whole body strongly supported the possibility of an atypical reactive phenomenon probably due to the underlying intestinal diverticular disease. Therefore, it is important to avoid diagnosing such a unifocal Langerhans cell proliferation as LCH in patients with underlying pathologies in the absence of systemic involvement. Therefore, without knowledge of clonal status of a unifocal Langerhans cell proliferation, we recommend using the terminology of LCH-like lesion.

Aim: To investigate the effect of appendectomy and cigarette smoking on the clinical course of diverticulosis., Materials and Methods: A retrospective case-control study of 207 consecutive patients (45.8% male mean age 64.0 years), 150 with asymptomatic diverticulosis, and 57 with acute diverticulitis. Diagnosis of diverticulosis was defined on the basis of clinical and colonoscopic criteria, diverticulitis was defined by means of clinical, colonoscopic and computerised tomography criteria. Logistic regression function was used to define the relationship between the dependent variable (diverticulitis) and several covariates: sex, age, body mass index, smoking habit, and history of appendectomy., Results: According to the final model, the risk of diverticulitis was 4.94-fold higher (95% confidence interval: 1.98-12.37) in patients with a history of appendectomy with emergency resection, compared to patients not submitted to appendectomy or with a history of elective resection (P < 0.001); and 2.79-fold higher (95% confidence interval: 1.30-5.96) in smokers than in non-smokers (P = 0.008). The effects of the two determinants were found to be independent, thus the cumulative risk of diverticulitis was 13.78-fold higher for smokers with a history of emergency surgical treatment., Conclusion: Smoking and emergency appendectomy are important predictive factors for the clinical course of diverticulosis., (Copyright © 2010 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The clinical course of diverticular disease in immunosuppressed patients is widely believed to be more severe than in the general population. In this study we systematically reviewed the literature regarding the epidemiology and clinical course of diverticulitis in immunosuppressed patients. Our goal was to develop recommendations regarding the care of this group of patients., Methods: Using PubMed and Web of Knowledge we systematically reviewed all studies published between 1970 and 2009 that analyzed the epidemiology, clinical manifestation, or outcomes of treatment of diverticulitis in immunosuppressed patients. Keywords of "transplantation," "corticosteroid," "HIV," "AIDS," and "chemotherapy" were used., Results: Twenty-five studies met our inclusion criteria. All of these studies focused on the impact of diverticulitis in patients with transplants or on chronic corticosteroid therapy. The reported incidence of acute diverticulitis in these patients was approximately 1% (variable follow-up periods). Among patients with known diverticular disease the incidence was 8%. Mortality from acute diverticulitis in these patients was 23% when treated surgically and 56% when treated medically. Overall mortality was 25%., Conclusions: Our study summarizes evidence that patients with transplants or patients on chronic corticosteroid therapy 1) have a rate of acute diverticulitis that is higher than the baseline population and 2) a mortality rate with acute diverticulitis that is high. Further research is needed to define whether these risks constitute a mandate for screening and prophylactic sigmoid colectomy.

Different symptoms have been attributed to uncomplicated diverticular disease (DD). Poor absorbable antibiotics are largely used for uncomplicated DD, mainly for symptom treatment and prevention of diverticulitis onset. Controlled trials on cyclic administration of rifaximin in DD patients were evaluated. Four controlled, including 1 double-blind and 3 open-label, randomized studies were available. Following a long-term cyclic therapy, a significant difference emerged in the global symptoms score (range: 0-18) between rifaximin plus fibers (from 6-6.5 to 1-2) and fibers alone (from 6.7 to 2-3.8), although the actual clinically relevance of such a very small difference remains to be ascertained. Moreover, a similar global symptom score reduction (from 6 to 2.4) can be achieved by simply recommending an inexpensive high-fiber diet. Current data suggest that cyclic rifaximin plus fibers significantly reduce the incidence of the first episode of acute diverticulitis as compared to fibers alone (1.03% vs 2.75%), but a cost-efficacy analysis is needed before this treatment can be routinely recommended. The available studies have been hampered by some limitations, and definite conclusions could not be drawn. The cost of a long-life, cyclic rifaximin therapy administered to all symptomatic DD patients would appear prohibitive.

Background: Colorectal cancer will present itself as a bowel obstruction in 16-23% of all cases. However, not all obstructing tumors are malignant and the differentiation between a benign and a malignant tumor can be difficult. The purpose of our study was to determine whether fast dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging combined with MR colonography could be used to differentiate a benign from a malignant obstructing colon tumor., Methods: Patients with benign colon tumor stenosis, based on diverticulitis, were asked to participate in the study. The same number of patients with verified colorectal cancer was included. Both groups had to be scheduled for surgery to be included. Two blinded observers analyzed the tumors on MR by placing a region of interest in the tumor and a series of parameters were evaluated, e.g. wash-in, wash-out and time-to-peak., Results: 14 patients were included. The wash-in and wash-out rates were significantly different between the benign and malignant tumors, and a clear distinction between benign and malignant disease was therefore possible by looking only at the MR data. Furthermore, MR colography evaluating the rest of the colon past the stenosis was possible with all patients., Conclusion: The results showed the feasibility of using fast dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging to differentiate between benign and malignant colonic tumors. With a high intra-class correlation and significant differences found on independent segments of the tumor, the method appears to be reproducible. Furthermore, the potential is big in performing a full preoperative colon evaluation even in patients with obstructing cancer., Trial Number: NCT00114829., (Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A Killian-Jamieson (K-J) diverticulum is an uncommon hypopharyngeal diverticulum related to the better-recognized Zenker's diverticulum. Cervical cellulitis due to K-J diverticulitis is also highly exceptional. We report the case of a 53-year-old woman with cervical cellulitis caused by K-J diverticulitis. The cellulitis was cured by the administration of an antibiotic agent. The patient underwent a resection of the K-J diverticulum 2 months after the cellulitis was cured. The cervical diverticulum was judged to be a K-J diverticulum because the diverticulum prolapsed laterally just below the cricopharyngeus muscle on the esophagogram. The left recurrent laryngeal nerve adhered to the proximity of the orifice of the diverticulum. The recurrent laryngeal nerve was carefully preserved before the resection of the diverticulum. Accurate differential diagnosis between K-J and Zenker's diverticula is necessary before surgery to preserve the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Meckel's diverticulum is the most prevalent abnormality of the gastrointestinal tract seen in approximately 2% of the population. Diagnosing complicated diverticulum is difficult, for its capacity to mime multiple disorders such as appendicitis, ulcer disease, enterocolitis, Chron disease, sigmoid diverticulitis, cholecystitis, and it should be considered in all patients with unexplained chronic abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, unexpected cause of intestinal obstruction or acute abdomen. Herewith we provide an illustrative presentation, emphasizing the difficulties in preoperative diagnosis of complicated Meckel's diverticulum and underlining the nonspecific nature of the subjective and objective findings. Both cases were admitted to our clinic with acute abdomen diagnoses--first case as a intestinal obstruction and in second case was acute appendicitis. Laparatomy ascertain that the cause of symptoms was the complicated Meckel's diverticulum.

Colonic diverticulosis is a common, usually asymptomatic, entity of Western countries, with an incidence that increases with age. When these diverticula become infected and inflamed, patients can present with a wide variety of clinical manifestations. Management of acute, uncomplicated diverticulitis can often be treated successfully with antibiotics alone and the decision to proceed with more aggressive measures such as surgical intervention is made on a case-by-case basis. The treatment algorithm for diverticular disease continues to evolve as the pathophysiology, etiology, and natural history of the disease becomes better understood.

Purpose: In 1995, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study published an isolated report of lower diverticular disease risk in physically active men, particularly among those who ran. The purpose of this article was to assess whether this finding can be verified among older men and women of the National Runners' Health Study., Methods: Survival analyses were applied to incident disease occurring during 7.7 yr of follow-up in 9072 men and 1664 women, representing 84% follow-up of the original >or=50-yr-old cohort. In addition to the usual running distance (km x d(-1)), 80% of the baseline respondents included 10-km footrace performance times (a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness). Results were adjusted for age, sex, and reported intakes of meat, fish, fruit, and alcohol., Results: A total of 127 men and 21 women reported clinically diagnosed diverticular disease since baseline. The risk for incident diverticular disease decreased 6.2% per km x d(-1) run (P = 0.04). Relative to men and women who ran 8 km x d(-1) had 48% lower risk (P = 0.05). Each meter-per-second increment in the 10-km performance was associated with a 68% risk reduction (P = 0.04). Men and women who ran >4 m x s(-1) had 70% lower risk for diverticular disease than those who ran

Symptomatic neonatal Meckel's diverticulum is rare. We describe 2 interesting presentations of neonatal Meckel's diverticulum with review of the literature. Our first patient presented with massive bleeding per rectum in the first week of life, which is the only case reported so far. The second case presented with milk curd obstruction in the Meckel's diverticulum. We could find only one similar case in the literature.

Objective: Obesity is becoming a growing health concern in the general population. Multiple studies have linked diverticular disease to obesity. Furthermore, recent research has shown fat to be a critical element in the regulation of immunity and the inflammatory response. In this study, we sought to determine if body mass index (BMI) is associated with a higher incidence of complicated diverticulitis., Methods: A retrospective review of patients hospitalized with complicated diverticulitis between 1997 and 2006 was conducted. Medical, surgical and CT (Computed Tomography) guided interventions were evaluated in reference to age, gender, BMI and length of hospital stay (LOS)., Results: Charts of 104 controls and 614 patients hospitalized with complicated diverticulitis were reviewed based on specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. There was no significant difference between groups by either gender (P = 0.066) or BMI (P = 0.648). There was a significant difference in age and LOS between three of the analyzed groups. No correlation was noted between BMI and LOS in any of the groups., Discussion: There has been increasing interest in obesity and its ramifications in all areas of medicine, including diverticular disease. Numerous studies have shown a strong correlation between acute diverticulitis and obesity, particularly in the young population. This study was undertaken to identify a possible link between complicated diverticulitis and obesity. Anecdotal reports and a few studies have found a parallel association. However, in this retrospective study, no correlation was found between BMI and the incidence of complicated diverticulitis.

Meckel's diverticulum (MD) is the most common congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract, occurring in 2-3% of the population. Enterolith formation associated with MD is a rare entity. We present the case of a 35-year-old active duty sailor who presented with a 24-hour history of worsening abdominal pain and nausea. His exam revealed lower abdominal peritonitis. An abdominal and pelvic CT scan revealed a fluid-filled structure in the pelvis adjacent to the distal small bowel with associated calcifications. Exploratory laparotomy was performed, which revealed an acutely inflamed MD associated with enterolith formation. Consideration of this condition in the differential upon presentation of an acute abdomen is essential, secondary to the morbidity that can accompany it when misdiagnosed.

20 patients with the complicated forms of Meckel diverticulum are treated. The nosological forms were: acute diverticulitis (n=16), acute ileus (n=2), intestinal bleeding (n=1) and perforation of diverticular wall with foreign body n=1). All cases were diagnosed only intraoperatively. The majority of patients with the acute diverticulitis presented a clinical picture of an acute appendicitis, on the cause of which they were operated on. Meckel diverticulum was found 40-140 sm from the ileocecal angle. Surgical treatment consisted of the wedge ileal resection and, in 6 patients, appendectomy. There were no deaths.

Background & Aims: Studies of obesity and diverticular complications are limited. We assessed the relationship between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio and diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding., Methods: A prospective cohort study of 47,228 male health professionals (40-75 years old) who were free of diverticular disease in 1986 (baseline) was performed. Men reporting newly diagnosed diverticular disease on biennial follow-up questionnaires were sent supplemental questionnaires. Weight was recorded every 2 years, and data on waist and hip circumferences were collected in 1987., Results: We documented 801 incident cases of diverticulitis and 383 incident cases of diverticular bleeding during 18 years of follow-up. After adjustment for other risk factors, men with a BMI >or= 30 kg/m(2) had a relative risk (RR) of 1.78 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-2.94) for diverticulitis and 3.19 (95% CI, 1.45-7.00) for diverticular bleeding compared with men with a BMI of <21 kg/m(2). Men in the highest quintile of waist circumference, compared with those in the lowest, had a multivariable RR of 1.56 (95% CI, 1.18-2.07) for diverticulitis and 1.96 (95% CI, 1.30-2.97) for diverticular bleeding. Waist-to-hip ratio was also associated with the risk of diverticular complications when the highest and lowest quintiles were compared, with a multivariable RR of 1.62 (95% CI, 1.23-2.14) for diverticulitis and 1.91 (95% CI, 1.26-2.90) for diverticular bleeding. Adjustment for BMI did not change the associations seen for waist-to-hip ratio., Conclusions: In this large prospective cohort, BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio significantly increased the risks of diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding.

Diverticulitis is classified as uncomplicated or complicated, i.e., associated with perforation, fistula, or obstruction. CT allows more reliable characterization of an acute attack of diverticulitis. Medical management is reserved for uncomplicated diverticulitis and the initial phase of treatment of diverticulitis associated with abscess formation. Percutaneous abscess drainage is a major advance, which permits one-stage resection in a majority of cases. Diverticulitis associated with free perforation can be selectively managed with resection and primary anastomosis, although a Hartmann resection is likely to be performed. A fistula associated with diverticulitis can usually be managed with a one-stage resection. Obstruction can be managed selectively with resection with on-table bowel preparation, primary anastomosis, and proximal diversion. Laparoscopic techniques permit successful performance of elective resections most of the time. Hand assistance is of particular value when the patient has dense fibrosis.

The understanding of diverticulitis has advanced little beyond the initial postulates of Burkitt and Painter who proposed that diverticular disease results from a deficiency of dietary fiber. Diverticular disease and diverticulitis are viewed simply as a consequence of a diet, which takes in relatively little fiber. Our understanding of diverticulitis has not advanced beyond these basic concepts. As many as two-thirds of individuals in the West have diverticular disease by the age of 85 years, but only 10% to 25% will manifest any related clinical symptoms. Other than age, several risk factors have been identified for the development of diverticular disease and diverticulitis. In particular, obesity and red meat intake are risk factors. Smoking is more controversial and alcohol, coffee, and caffeine have not shown to be risk factors. Vegetable intake, a strict vegetable diet, and increased fiber intake decreases the risk of development of diverticular disease, as well as diverticulitis. Physical activity also seems protective. Despite these evidences, the risk factors and pathophysiology progression from asymptomatic diverticular disease to diverticulitis have been inadequately studied. This subject is reviewed in more detail in this manuscript.

Diverticular disease is a common entity in the USA with an apparent increasing incidence worldwide. The pathogenesis of this disease process is likely multifactorial involving dietary habits, changes in colonic pressures and motility, and colon wall structural changes associated with aging. The following review addresses our current limited knowledge regarding the epidemiology and pathogenesis of diverticulosis and diverticulitis.

Diverticular disease is one of the most prevalent medical conditions to affect Western populations. Symptomatic diverticular disease can range from mild, low-level symptomatology similar to that seen in irritable bowel syndrome to acute bouts of diverticulitis complicated by abscess or frank perforation. This review discusses the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management of the spectrum of diverticular disease, including mention of recent advances in the treatment of chronic diverticular disease with aminosalicyclates and probiotics.

Only 2% of patients with Meckel's diverticulae (MD) will manifest clinical problems. Diverticulitis occurs in approximately 10-20% of patients with symptomatic MD and more often in the elderly population. We report a case of Meckels diverticulitis presenting with perforation and mesenteric abscess in a young African man. The authors present information on diagnostic pitfalls and advise a lower threshold for consideration of MD as a differential diagnosis of acute right iliac fossa pain especially when the CT scan denotes a normal appendix in a male patient.

The epidemic of obesity and the introduction of laparoscopic techniques have greatly increased the popularity of bariatric operations such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP). Acquired diverticular disease of the small bowel is a rare condition that becomes symptomatic in about 10% of the cases. We report a 48-year-old morbidly obese woman who presented 2 months after laparoscopic RYGBP with a perforated diverticulum of the Roux loop. The diagnostic and therapeutic implications are discussed.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their endogenous inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs), are produced in the gastrointestinal tract by several structural cells. The balance between MMPs and TIMPs is essential for many physiological processes in the gut. However, imbalance between MMPs and TIMPs plays an important role in the pathophysiology of diverse intestinal inflammatory conditions. We reviewed the role of the MMP/TIMP system in the pathogenesis of intestinal inflammatory diseases and pharmacologic perspectives for the use of compounds that restore the MMP/TIMP balance.

Objective: On the basis of our experience in recent years, we hypothesized that acute diverticulitis occurs more frequently in young adult patients (age, < or = 50 years) now than previously recognized. We reviewed the CT findings, clinical features, and demographic data of a cohort of patients who presented with acute diverticulitis at an urban U.S. academic medical center., Materials and Methods: We used our hospital and radiology databases to identify 104 adult patients with both CT and clinical diagnoses of acute diverticulitis. Clinical parameters recorded included age, sex, ethnicity, in- or outpatient management, and therapy (medical treatment, percutaneous drainage, or surgery). CT studies were evaluated for the site of diverticulitis; associated complications; and the presence of abdominal obesity, as determined by measurement of sagittal abdominal diameter., Results: The study group was composed of 55 men and 49 women (age range, 22-88 years; mean age, 52.2 years; median age, 49.0 years). Fifty-six (53.8%) were 50 years old or younger, and 22 were 40 years old or younger. Forty-one complications were noted in 38 patients (36%). There was no significant age difference between the < or = 50 and > 50 years old age groups for hospital admission (90 patients, 86.5%), medical therapy (76, 73.1%), or surgery or percutaneous abscess drainage (28, 26.9%). Abdominal obesity measured by sagittal abdominal diameter was present in 48 (85.7%) and 37 (77%) of the < or = 50 and > 50 years old age groups, respectively. The mean sagittal abdominal diameter for patients < or = 50 years old (27.0 cm) was greater than that for patients > 50 years old (25.6 cm) (p = 0.05)., Conclusion: In this urban population, acute diverticulitis occurred more frequently in patients 20-50 years old than previously recognized. This group had significantly greater abdominal obesity than the older group. Severe disease requiring hospital admission, surgery, or percutaneous drainage (or both surgery and percutaneous drainage) was common in all age groups.

A rarely diagnosed etiology of dysphagia is a pharyngeal diverticula occurring after anterior cervical fusion. Here we review 2 cases where patients developed pharyngeal diverticula following anterior cervical fusion. The first patient was a 28-year-old female who presented with regurgitation following C5 through C6 cervical fusion. She was diagnosed with a pharyngeal diverticulum and underwent open repair, but began to experience symptoms again a few months later. A barium swallow showed a recurrent pharyngeal diverticulum. Endoscopic repair was attempted; however, because of the thick scar band between the diverticulum and the esophagus, the operation had to be converted to an open repair with cricopharyngeal myotomy. The second case involved a 63-year-old male who presented with dysphagia and regurgitation 6 months after anterior cervical fusion. Esophagram demonstrated a small diverticulum at the right lateral border of the upper esophagus. Open repair of the diverticulum with cricopharyngeal myotomy was successfully performed. Pharyngeal diverticula after anterior cevical fusion have only been reported in 2 prior cases in the literature. Here we describe 2 additional cases at our institution, both requiring open repair. Radiographic studies demonstrate the diverticulum at the site of scarring from the cervical fusion. Because of the thick scar band and the atypical location of these diverticula, endoscopic repair with stapping (as done for Zenker's diverticula) may not be feasible. These cases highlight the importance of considering a diverticulum in the differential of posoperative patients presenting to the otolaryngologists with complaints of dysphagia following cevical spine surgery.