[ACUTE DIVERTICULAR DISEASE - IS IT STILL A "SURGICAL" CONDITION?]

Introduction: The therapeutic approach to diverticular disease has changed significantly in recent decades. From a disease treated almost exclusively by surgery, diverticulitis is nowadays treated operatively in specific indications, shifting the majority of patients towards an outpatient based treatment. Significant changes occurred not only in uncomplicated diverticular disease but also in complicated cases, treated in the past with emergency surgery. These changes have been studied relentlessly around the world, and despite the fact that the vast majority of patients presenting with acute diverticular disease are not treated with surgery, it is still considered a surgical condition. In this review article, we set out to examine whether there is still justification to consider acute diverticulitis as a surgical disease and in addition, to examine whether the changes in treatment seen around the world are compatible with the current treatment strategies implemented in Israel.