Elective surgery for recurrent diverticulitis

Background/Aims: After two documented episodes of uncomplicated diverticulitis, elective colon resection is recommended to prevent complications of the disease but the nature of symptoms in non-operated patients requires specification. Methodology: A detailed questionnaire concerning clinical variables was mailed to two hundred and sixty patients admitted into our hospital for symptoms of acute sigmoid diverticulitis between 1981 and 2002. One hundred and seventy-one patients (70 percent) answered the questions adequately. Based on the clinical symptoms reported by the patients on the questionnaires, three patient groups set up, i.e. patients treated non-operatively or operatively for recurrent diverticulitis and patients operated on for diverticular perforation. The results of the patients treated non-operatively were analyzed with special reference to readmissions and age. Results: The need for treatment by a physician, the need for hospital treatment, the presence of abdominal cramps, the presence of febrile left lower abdominal pain, the need for antibiotics and the need for NSAIDs were more common in the patients treated non-operatively for recurrent diverticulitis. When the patients treated non-operatively for recurrent diverticulitis were compared in a logistic regression model in relation to the number of admissions, the need for treatment by a physician and the presence of left lower abdominal pain were significantly more common in the patients admitted twice or more often. The same variables remained significantly different when the patients admitted once or twice were compared. Age did not correlate with any of the variables tested. Conclusions: On the basis of our results, we recommend that patients with recurrent uncomplicated diverticulitis should be operated on after two documented episodes to reduce the symptoms of the patients.