DIVERTICULAR DISEASE; IS IT AN UNDERESTIMATED PROBLEM IN OUR LOCALITY?

M. Hussein, Hamdy; A. Mostafa, Hussein; El-Suity, Alaa; Abd-El All, Kamal; Osman, Samy; M. Thabet, Amr; S. Mohamed, Eman; Tharwat, Mohamed

doi:10.21608/ejsur.2004.373735

DIVERTICULAR DISEASE; IS IT AN UNDERESTIMATED PROBLEM IN OUR LOCALITY?

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ General Surgery Departments, Sohag Faculty of Medicine

² General Surgery Departments, Kasr El Aini Faculty of Medicine

³ Pathology, Departments, Sohag Faculty of Medicine.

⁴ Radiology Departments, Sohag Faculty of Medicine.

10.21608/ejsur.2004.373735

Abstract

Background: Colonic diverticular disease is common in Western countries. It is often asymptomatic; only 10-26% of patients will progress to diverticulitis with symptoms ranging from minor complaints to life threatening sequelae.
Objectives: To recognize the pattern of presentation, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of diverticular disease in our
community.
Methods: From January 1996 to June 2004, 19 patients with diverticular disease were retrospectively studied.
Results: Twelve patients were males and 7 females. Mean age was 59±2.9 (range 47.5 -71) years. Fifteen patients (90%)
presented with left lower quadrant pain, bleeding per rectum in 5 patients (26.3%), tender left lower quadrant mass in 3
patients (15.8%) and acute abdomen in 3 patients (15.8%). Diagnosis was done using ultrasonography, colonoscopy, barium enema and CT. Conservative treatment was successful in 12 patients (63.2%). Seven patients (36.8%) required surgery. Hartmann’s procedure was done in 5 patients (71.4%), and one-stage colonic resection was done in 2 patients (28.6%). Postoperative complications were encountered in 2 patients (28.6%). No reported mortality.
Conclusion: Diverticular disease is not uncommon in our locality, and requires high index of suspicion and multidisciplinary approach for proper diagnosis and management. The majority of cases are treated conservatively but surgery remains safe in some patients. Resection and primary anastomosis has an acceptable morbidity and mortality. For high-risk patients, Hartmann's procedure remains a gold standard.

Keywords