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World J Gastroenterol. Sep 21, 2014; 20(35): 12509-12516
Published online Sep 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i35.12509
Published online Sep 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i35.12509
Routine colonic endoscopic evaluation following resolution of acute diverticulitis: Is it necessary?
Amit K Agarwal, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, Houston, TX 77030, United States
Burzeen E Karanjawala, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston and Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital, Houston, TX 77026, United States
Justin A Maykel, University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA 01605, United States
Eric K Johnson, Scott R Steele, Colon Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, WA 98431, United States
Author contributions: Agarwal AK and Karanjawala BE contributed equally to this work; Agarwal AK, Karanjawala BE and Steele SR designed research; Agarwal AK, Karanjawala BE and Steele SR performed research; Makel JA and Johnson EK contributed expertise knowledge and performed critical revision on the paper; Agarwal AK, Karanjawala BE and Steele SR authored the paper and helped with critical revision.
Correspondence to: Scott R Steele, MD, Chief of Colon Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, WA 98431, United States. harkersteele@mac.com
Telephone: +1-253-9682200 Fax:+1-253-9685900
Received: February 20, 2014
Revised: April 10, 2014
Accepted: May 25, 2014
Published online: September 21, 2014
Revised: April 10, 2014
Accepted: May 25, 2014
Published online: September 21, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Acute diverticulitis accounts for greater than 300000 hospital admissions a year in the United States alone. Current guidelines suggest that routine colonic evaluation is recommended following recovery from an episode of acute diverticulitis to confirm the diagnosis and exclude malignancy. Current data suggests that the presence of colonic neoplasia after an optimal high-resolution computed tomography that demonstrates uncomplicated diverticulitis will be low. Accordingly, routine colonic endoscopic evaluation following treatment of computed tomography-diagnosed acute uncomplicated diverticulitis may deserve further study.