Clinical guidelines (CGs) developed by expert communities benefit both the patient and the clinician. Meanwhile a considerable proportion of specialists are not familiar with or follow them in their daily practice. Colonic diverticulitis (CD) is the third most common cause of hospitalization among patients with gastrointestinal diseases and common indication for colon resection. Actual tactics for diagnosis and treatment of CD, as well as data on what influences its choice and how the decisions made agree with the existing CGs can be identified by anonymous surveys.

An anonymous internet survey of surgeons and coloproctologists was conducted. Groups of questions included demographics of the respondents; self-esteem score; sources of guidance in decision-making; classification systems for CD; preferable diagnostic tests; management of CD; indications for elective surgery; and outcomes of surgical treatment and others (n = 17). The study was conducted in accordance with the CHERRIES criteria. The required minimum sample size was calculated as 377 participants.

The study involved 401 respondents from 9 countries: 76.1% were general surgeons and 14.5% were colorectal surgeons. Excellent or good knowledge of the problem was claimed by 82.8% of the colorectal vs 66.2% of the general surgeons (p = 0.013). In decision-making respondents were largely guided by their professional experience, methods adopted in their clinic and domestic CGs. General Surgeons more often chose tactics inconsistent with CGs than coloproctologists. The largest differences between subgroups were noted for awareness of the reversal of Hartmann's procedure, most common postoperative complications and indications for elective surgery.

Adherence to the existing CGs was poor, which entails significant variation in the approaches practiced by the respondents from different cohorts. There is no consensus on the aspects that are not yet covered in the CGs. Further research is needed to elucidate these gaps and update the guidelines accordingly.

There is growing interest in social determinants of health for surgical populations. Within diverticulitis, no systematic collation of available evidence has been performed.

To assess frequency, variety, and association directions for social determinants of health in colonic diverticular disease.

Four electronic databases were queried: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science.

Included studies reported symptomatic left-sided colonic diverticular disease with respect to a social determinant of health according to the Healthy People 2030 initiative or applicable proxy variable. Studies with non-English full text, cohort size less than 50, pediatric cohorts, and exclusively non-left-sided disease were excluded.

Quality assessment using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, frequency of variables reported, and effect size trends for common comparisons.

Among 50 included studies, 40 were good and 10 were fair in quality. Social determinants of health in diverticulitis were identified across economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context domains. The 2 most common variables were self-reported race and ethnicity (n = 33) and insurance (n = 22). Among 18 unique studies reporting comparisons of White versus any other self-reported race and ethnicity, 12 identified a disparity disadvantaging non-White groups with effect sizes (95% CI ranging from 1.23 [1.10-1.37] to 5.35 [1.32-21.61]). Among 15 unique studies reporting a nonprivate versus private insurance comparison, 9 identified nonprivate insurance as a risk factor with effect sizes (95% CIs) ranging from 1.15 (1.02-1.29) to 3.83 (3.01-4.87).

Retrospective studies, heterogeneity across cohorts, and variable definitions.

Social determinants of health domains are associated with a variety of diverticulitis outcomes. Additional studies are needed to address infrequently reported domains and identify optimal strategies for intervening in clinical settings.

CRD42023422606.

Acute diverticulitis represents a common colorectal emergency seen in the Western world. Over time, management of this condition has evolved. This review aims to highlight recent evidence and update current recommendations. Notable evidence has emerged in certain aspects of diverticulitis. This includes disease pathogenesis, as emerging data suggest a potentially greater role for the microbiome and genetic predisposition than previously thought. Acute management has also seen major shifts, where traditional antibiotic treatment may no longer be necessary for acute uncomplicated diverticulitis. Following successful medical management of acute diverticulitis, indications for elective sigmoidectomy have decreased. The benefit of emergency surgery remains for peritonitis, sepsis, obstruction, and acute diverticulitis in certain immunocompromised patients. Routine colonoscopy, once recommended after all acute diverticulitis episodes, has been shown to be beneficial for cancer exclusion in a distinct patient population. Despite advances in research, certain entities remain poorly understood, such as smoldering diverticulitis and symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease. As research in the field expands, paradigm shifts will shape our understanding of diverticulitis, influencing how clinicians approach management and educate patients.

Over the last few decades, our understanding of the pathophysiology and natural history of sigmoid diverticulitis has greatly improved. This knowledge has challenged many of the traditional principles in the management for diverticulitis, such as routine antibiotic administration in all cases, number-based recommendations for elective surgery, and the necessity for an end colostomy in emergency surgery. This review will cover the breadth of management for sigmoid diverticulitis, covering both uncomplicated and complicated disease as well as elective and emergent disease presentations. New and emerging concepts in management will be highlighted with a particular focus on level-1 data, when available.

Diverticular abscess is a common manifestation of acute complicated diverticulitis. We aimed to analyze the clinical course of patients with diverticular abscess initially treated conservatively.

All patients with diverticular abscess undergoing elective or urgent/emergency surgery from October 2004 to October 2022 were identified from our institutional database. Depending on the abscess size, patients were divided into group A (≤ 3 cm) and group B (> 3 cm). Conservative treatment failure was defined as clinical deterioration, persistent or recurrent abscess, or urgent/emergency surgery. Baseline characteristics and short-term perioperative outcomes were recorded and compared between both groups. Uni- and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify determinants of conservative treatment failure and overall ostomy formation.

A total of 105 patients were enrolled into group A (n = 73) and group B (n = 32). Uni- and multivariate analyses revealed abscess size as the only significant factor of conservative therapy failure [OR 9.904; p < 0.0001], while overall ostomy formation was significantly affected by an increased body mass index (BMI) [OR 1.366; p = 0.026]. There were no significant differences in perioperative outcome with the exception of a longer total hospital stay in patients managed with abscess drainage compared to antibiotics alone prior surgery in group B (p = 0.045).

Abscess diameter > 3 cm is not just an arbitrary chosen cut-off value for drainage placement but has a prognostic impact on medical treatment failure in patients with complicated acute diverticulitis. In this subgroup, the choice between primary drainage and antibiotics does not appear to influence outcome at the cost of prolonged hospital stay after drainage insertion.

Acute colonic diverticulitis is a common disease treated by acute care surgeons. Acute uncomplicated colonic diverticulitis involves thickening of the colon wall with inflammatory changes and less commonly requires the expertise of a surgeon; many cases may be treated as an outpatient with or without antibiotics. Complicated diverticulitis involves phlegmon, abscess, peritonitis, obstruction, stricture, and/or fistula and usually requires inpatient hospital admission, treatment with antibiotics, and consideration for intervention including operative management. This review will discuss what the acute care surgeon needs to know about diagnosis and management of acute colonic diverticulitis.

The treatment of diverticulitis is experiencing a shift in management due to a number of large scale clinical trials. For instance, clinicians are beginning to recognize that avoidance of antibiotics in uncomplicated diverticulitis is not associated with worse outcomes. Additionally, while the decision to proceed with elective surgical resection for recurrent uncomplicated disease is less conclusive and favors a patient-centric approach, complicated disease with a large abscess denotes more aggressive disease and would likely benefit from elective surgical resection. Lastly, in patient with acutely perforated diverticulitis who require urgent surgical intervention, laparoscopic lavage is generally not recommended due to high re-intervention rates and the preferred surgical procedure is primary anastomosis with or without diversion due to high morbidity and low rates of Hartmann reversal.

Care of patients with diverticulitis is undergoing a paradigm shift. This narrative review summarizes the current evidence for left-sided uncomplicated and complicated diverticulitis. The latest pathophysiology, advances in diagnosis, and prevention strategies are also reviewed.

Treatment is moving to the outpatient setting, physicians are forgoing antibiotics for uncomplicated disease, and the decision for elective surgery for diverticulitis has become preference sensitive. Furthermore, the most current data guiding surgical management of diverticulitis include the adoption of new minimally invasive and robot-assisted techniques.

This review provides an updated summary of the best practices in the management of diverticulitis to guide colorectal and general surgeons in their treatment of patients with this common disease.

Diverticular disease (DD) represents a common gastrointestinal condition that poses a heavy burden on healthcare systems worldwide. A high degree of uncertainty surrounds the therapeutic approaches for the control of symptoms in patients with symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD) and primary and secondary prevention of diverticulitis and its consequences.

To review the current knowledge and discuss the unmet needs regarding the management of SUDD and the prevention of acute diverticulitis.

Randomized trials, observational studies, and systematic reviews on lifestyle/dietary interventions and medical treatment (rifaximin, mesalazine, and probiotics) of SUDD or prevention of acute diverticulitis.

The literature search was performed from inception to April 2023, without language restriction, following the modified Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. References of the papers selected were checked to identify additional papers of potential interest. The final list of references was evaluated by a panel of experts, who were asked to check for any lack of relevant studies.

Information on patient population, study design, intervention, control group, duration of the observation, and outcomes assessed was collected by two authors independently.

The review shows a high degree of uncertainty about therapeutic interventions, both dietary/lifestyle and pharmacological, in patients with SUDD, because of the scarcity and weakness of existing evidence. Available studies are generally of low quality, heterogeneous, and outdated, precluding the possibility to draw robust conclusions. Similarly, acute diverticulitis prevention has been seldom investigated, and there is a substantial lack of evidence supporting the role of dietary/lifestyle or pharmacological approaches to reduce the risk of diverticulitis.

The lack of robust evidence regarding therapeutic options for gastrointestinal symptoms in SUDD patients and for primary and secondary prevention of acute diverticulitis remains an important unmet need in the management of DD.

The recurrence of acute diverticulitis (AD) of the colon is frequent and leads to hospital readmissions and the need for elective surgery in selected cases. It is important to individualize risk factors and develop predictive tools for their identification.

This prospective observational study included 368 patients who were diagnosed with AD between 2016 and 2021 in a tertiary general university hospital during their first episode and who had a good response to antibiotic, percutaneous, or peritoneal lavage treatment. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses of the variables associated with recurrence were performed. Subsequently, a predictive risk score was developed and validated through survival studies.

After a median follow-up of 50 months, there were 71 (19.3%) cases of recurrence out of a total of 368 patients. The mean time of recurrence was 15 months, and 73.3% of cases of recurrence occurred before 2 years of follow-up. Recurrence was independently associated with presentation with colonic perforation in the antimesenteric location (HR 3.67 95% CI [1.59-8.4]) and a CRP level greater than 100 mg/dl (HR 1.69 95% CI [1.04-2.77). A score with 5 variables was created that differentiated two risk groups: intermediate risk (0-3 points), with 19% recurrence and high risk (more than 3 points), with 42% recurrence.

The risk of recurrence after the first episode of diverticulitis can be estimated using predictive scores. The detection of high-risk patients facilitates the individualization of follow-up and treatment.

Acute diverticulitis is a condition commonly seen in the emergency department (ED). Therefore, it is important for emergency medicine clinicians to be aware of the current evidence regarding the diagnosis and management of this disease.

This paper evaluates key evidence-based updates concerning acute diverticulitis for the emergency clinician.

Diverticulitis is a complication of diverticulosis and most commonly affects the sigmoid and descending colon in Western countries. History and examination can suggest the diagnosis, with abdominal pain and tenderness in the left lower quadrant being the most common symptom and sign, respectively. Change in bowel habits and fever may also occur. Laboratory testing may demonstrate leukocytosis or an elevated C-reactive protein. Imaging options can include computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis with intravenous contrast, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or ultrasound (US), though most classification systems for diverticulitis incorporate CT findings. While the majority of diverticulitis cases are uncomplicated, complications may affect up to 25% of patients. Treatment of complicated diverticulitis requires antibiotics and surgical consultation. Antibiotics are not required in select patients with uncomplicated diverticulitis. Appropriate patients for supportive care without antibiotics should be well-appearing, have pain adequately controlled, be able to tolerate oral intake, be able to follow up, have no complications, and have no immunocompromise or severe comorbidities.

An understanding of literature updates can improve the ED care of patients with acute diverticulitis.

Recommendations for surgery of diverticular abscesses continue to evolve. This study aimed to examine the short- and long-term results of nonoperative management of diverticular abscesses while analyzing granular data to assess for predictive factors for successful treatment.

We analyzed patients admitted with diverticular abscesses at Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital from 2010 to 2020 who received initial planned nonoperative management. Short-term failure was defined as requiring surgery within 60 days of diagnosis, whereas long-term failure was defined as requiring surgery beyond 60 days. Successful treatment was defined as treatment that did not require surgery.

In total, 857 patient charts were individually analyzed. Sixty-three patients met the inclusion criteria. The median follow-up period was 48 months. Nineteen (30.2%) patients experienced short-term failure of nonoperative management, whereas 6 (9.5%) patients experienced long-term failure. Surgery was successfully avoided in the remaining 41 (60.3%) patients. Abscess size was significantly associated with success rate (< 3 cm, 85.7%; 3-5 cm, 42.3%; > 5 cm, 33.3%; p = 0.001). When corrected for the abscess size, percutaneous drainage did not affect the requirement for eventual surgery.

Nonoperative management is a reasonable option for diverticular abscesses and is particularly successful in patients with abscesses < 3 cm in diameter. Although sometimes performed in conjunction with nonoperative management, percutaneous drainage does not decrease the requirement for eventual surgery. Elective surgery should be considered for patients with larger abscesses. Future prospective studies may further clarify the role of the nonoperative management of diverticular abscesses.

We aimed to evaluate ethnic differences in patterns of care following an index nonoperative admission for acute diverticulitis amongst a universally insured patient cohort.

We identified nationwide Medicare beneficiaries aged 65.5 years or older hospitalized between 1 July 2015 and 1 November 2017 for nonoperative management of an index admission for diverticulitis. Patients were followed for 1 year to examine patterns of care. Primary categorical outcomes included receipt of an elective operation, emergency operation, nonoperative readmission or no further hospitalizations for diverticulitis. Multinomial regression was performed to determine the association between ethnicity and receipt of each primary outcome category whilst adjusting for potential confounders. We examined the use of percutaneous drainage during the index admission to better understand its association with subsequent care patterns.

Amongst 22 630 study patients, subsequent operative treatment was less common for Black, Hispanic, Asian and American Indian patients relative to White patients. Multinomial logistic regression noted that Black (relative risk 0.40; 95% CI 0.32-0.50) and Asian (relative risk 0.37; 95% CI 0.15-0.91) patients were associated with the lowest relative risk of undergoing an elective interval operation compared to White patients. Black patients were also associated with a 1.43 (95% CI 1.19-1.73) increased risk of requiring subsequent nonoperative readmissions for disease recurrence compared to White patients. The use of percutaneous drainage was higher amongst White patients relative to Black patients (6.9% vs. 4.0%, P value < 0.001).

We have identified ongoing inequities in the consumption of medical resources, with White patients being more likely to undergo elective colectomy and percutaneous drainage. Differences in care are not fully alleviated by equal access to insurance.

Diverticulosis and diverticular disease are ranked among the most common gastroenterological diseases and conditions. While for many years diverticulitis was found to be mainly an event occurring in the elder population, more recent work in epidemiology demonstrates increasing frequency in younger subjects. In addition, there is a noticeable trend towards more complicated disease. This may explain the significant increase in hospitalisations observed in recent years. It is not a surprise that the number of scientific studies addressing the clinical and socioeconomic consequences in the field is increasing. As a result, diagnosis and conservative as well as surgical management have changed in recent years. Diverticulosis, diverticular disease and diverticulitis are a complex entity and apparently an interdisciplinary challenge. To meet theses considerations the German Societies for Gastroenterology and Visceral Surgery decided to create joint guidelines addressing all aspects in a truely interdisciplinary fashion. The aim of the guideline is to summarise and to evaluate the current state of knowledge on diverticulosis and diverticular disease and to develop statements as well as recommendations to all physicians involved in the management of patients with diverticular disease.

Acute diverticulitis is a common condition in Western society with the potential for substantial patient morbidity. Depending on the severity, the patient's clinical presentation and treatment options vary considerably, leaving uncertainty about optimal management. Traditionally, surgery was recommended to prevent complications, persistent symptoms, and recurrent episodes. Improvements in the understanding of the disease's natural history, diagnostic imaging, and long-term outcomes have prompted changes to diagnosis and treatment guidelines.

The value of interventions used after acute colonic diverticulitis is unclear.

To evaluate postdiverticulitis colonoscopy and interventions to prevent recurrent diverticulitis.

MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Embase, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.gov from 1 January 1990 through 16 November 2020.

Comparative studies of interventions of interest reporting critical or important outcomes, and larger single-group studies to evaluate prevalence of colonoscopy findings and harms.

6 researchers extracted study data and risk of bias. The team assessed strength of evidence.

19 studies evaluated colonoscopy. Risk for prevalent colorectal cancer (CRC) compared with the general population is unclear. Based on low-strength evidence, long-term CRC diagnosis is similar with or without colonoscopy. High-strength evidence indicates that risk for prevalent CRC is higher among patients with complicated diverticulitis and colonoscopy complications are rare. Based on high-strength evidence, mesalamine does not reduce recurrence risk (6 randomized controlled trials [RCTs]). Evidence on other nonsurgical interventions is insufficient. For patients with prior complicated or smoldering or frequently recurrent diverticulitis, elective surgery is associated with reduced recurrence (3 studies; high strength). In 19 studies, serious surgical complications were uncommon.

Few RCTs provided evidence. Heterogeneity of treatment effect was not adequately assessed.

It is unclear whether patients with recent acute diverticulitis are at increased risk for prevalent CRC, but those with complicated diverticulitis are at increased risk. Mesalamine is ineffective in preventing recurrence; other nonsurgical treatments have inadequate evidence. Elective surgery reduces recurrence in patients with prior complicated or smoldering or frequently recurrent diverticulitis, but it is unclear which of these patients may benefit most.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and American College of Physicians. (PROSPERO: CRD42020151246).

The American College of Physicians (ACP) developed this guideline to provide clinical recommendations on the role of colonoscopy for diagnostic evaluation of colorectal cancer (CRC) after a presumed diagnosis of acute left-sided colonic diverticulitis and on the role of pharmacologic, nonpharmacologic, and elective surgical interventions to prevent recurrence after initial treatment of acute complicated and uncomplicated left-sided colonic diverticulitis. This guideline is based on the current best available evidence about benefits and harms, taken in the context of costs and patient values and preferences.

The ACP Clinical Guidelines Committee (CGC) based these recommendations on a systematic review on the role of colonoscopy after acute left-sided colonic diverticulitis and pharmacologic, nonpharmacologic, and elective surgical interventions after initial treatment. The systematic review evaluated outcomes rated by the CGC as critical or important. This guideline was developed using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) method.

The target audience is all clinicians, and the target patient population is adults with recent episodes of acute left-sided colonic diverticulitis.

The aim was to evaluate the relevance of pneumoperitoneum on the success rate of non-operative management (NOM) of patients with complicated acute diverticulitis (AD), and the risk factors associated with failure.

Observational retrospective cohort study of patients attended at the emergency department for AD from January 2015-August 2019. Patient demographics, blood tests, radiological data and initial treatment strategies were registered. NOM, based on intravenous antibiotics (ATB) and bowel rest, was defined as unsuccessful when emergency surgery (ES) and/or infection-related death took place. Patients initially treated with ES were excluded. Analysis was done with the IBM SPSS statistics 23.0.0.2 software.

According to modified Hinchey and WSES criteria, 99 (12%) of 826 AD episodes were complicated, with pneumoperitoneum on the CT scan in 89 (90.5%). NOM was undertaken in 93 (94%) cases, with a 91.5% success rate. Multivariate analysis revealed ASA class III-IV, and the presence of fluid collections >3cm in diameter, but not distant free air, to be associated with NOM failure. However, the success rate of NOM was significantly higher in patients with pericolic pneumoperitoneum (98.5%) than in those with distant free air (80%) (p=0.02). Risk factors of NOM failure were an advanced age, high CRP and WBC values, and the presence of free fluid in >2 abdominal quadrants.

NOM in hemodynamically stable patients with complicated AD is a safe and feasible approach, even in the context of distant free air. Nevertheless, patients with isolated pericolic air did better in our series.

The aim of this study was to assess failure rates following nonoperative management of acute diverticulitis complicated by abscess and trends thereof.

Pubmed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were systematically searched. Nonoperative management was defined as a combination of nil per os, IV fluids, IV antibiotics, CT scan-guided percutaneous drainage, and total parenteral nutrition. The primary endpoint was failure of nonoperative management defined as persistent or worsening abscess and/or sepsis, development of new complications, such as peritonitis, ileus, or colocutaneous fistula, and urgent surgery within 30-90 days of index admission. Data were stratified by three arbitrary time intervals: 1986-2000, 2000-2010, and after 2010. The primary outcome was calculated for those groups and compared.

Thirty-eight of forty-four eligible studies published between 1986 and 2019 were included in the quantitative synthesis of data (n = 2598). The pooled rate of failed nonoperative management was 16.4% (12.6%, 20.2%) at 90 days. In studies published in 2000-2010 (n = 405), the pooled failure rate was 18.6% (10.5%, 26.7%). After 2000 (n = 2140), the pooled failure rate was 15.3% (10.7%, 20%). The difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.725). After controlling for heterogeneity in the definition of failure of nonoperative management, subgroup analysis yielded the pooled rate of failure of 21.8% (16.1%, 27.4%).

This meta-analysis found that failure rates following nonoperative management of acute diverticulitis complicated by abscess did not significantly decrease over the past three decades. The general quality of published data and the level and certainty of evidence produced were low.

The correct medical indications are the fundamental decision process for the surgical treatment and ensuring the quality.

Description of the indications for surgical treatment of the various types of diverticular disease according to the current level of evidence.

The narrative review is based on current national and international guidelines and a selective literature search.

There are basically three main indications for resection of the sigmoid colon. 1) Prophylactic for avoidance of complications after successful conservative treatment of acute complicated diverticulitis with macroabscess formation and high risk of recurrence (classification of diverticular disease, CDD, type 2b). 2) In patients with persistent symptoms and impaired quality of life resection of the sigmoid colon of various types (CDD types 1-3) can effectively enable a significant improvement in the quality of life and is therefore to be recommended in cases of individually acceptable perioperative risks. 3) Indications for urgent resection of the sigmoid colon are present for free perforation or failure of conservative treatment.

The indications for surgery should be defined by the type of diverticular disease, the aim of surgical treatment, the evaluation of the efficacy of surgical treatment in comparison to conservative treatment and an individual appraisal of the risks.

Left sided colonic diverticulitis is a common and costly gastrointestinal disease in Western countries, characterized by acute onset of often severe abdominal pain. Imaging is necessary to make an initial diagnosis and determine disease severity. Colonoscopy should be done six to eight weeks after diagnosis to rule out a missed colon malignancy. Antibiotic treatment is used selectively in immunocompetent patients with mild acute uncomplicated diverticulitis. The clinical course of diverticulitis commonly includes unpredictable recurrences and chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, which are a detriment to quality of life. A better understanding of prognosis has prompted a shift toward non-operative approaches. The decision to undergo prophylactic colon resection should be individualized to consider the severity of diverticulitis, the patient's health and immune status, and the patient's preferences and values, as well as benefits and risks. Because only a section of colon is removed, recurrent diverticulitis remains a risk. Acute diverticulitis with an abscess is treated with antibiotics that cover Gram negative and anaerobic bacteria, with or without percutaneous drainage. Acute diverticulitis with purulent or feculent contamination of the peritoneal cavity is managed with surgery; primary resection and anastomosis is the procedure of choice in stable patients.

Colonic diverticulitis is a painful gastrointestinal disease that recurs unpredictably and can lead to chronic gastrointestinal symptoms. Gastroenterologists commonly care for patients with this disease. The purpose of this Clinical Practice Update is to provide practical and evidence-based advice for management of diverticulitis. We reviewed systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, and observational studies to develop 14 best practices. In brief, computed tomography is often necessary to make a diagnosis. Rarely, a colon malignancy is misdiagnosed as diverticulitis. Whether patients should have a colonoscopy after an episode of diverticulitis depends on the patient's history, most recent colonoscopy, and disease severity and course. In patients with a history of diverticulitis and chronic symptoms, alternative diagnoses should be excluded with both imaging and lower endoscopy. Antibiotic treatment can be used selectively rather than routinely in immunocompetent patients with mild acute uncomplicated diverticulitis. Antibiotic treatment is strongly advised in immunocompromised patients. To reduce the risk of recurrence, patients should consume a high-quality diet, have a normal body mass index, be physically active, not smoke, and avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use except aspirin prescribed for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. At the same time, patients should understand that genetic factors also contribute to diverticulitis risk. Patients should be educated that the risk of complicated diverticulitis is highest with the first presentation. An elective segmental resection should not be advised based on the number of episodes. Instead, a discussion of elective segmental resection should be personalized to consider severity of disease, patient preferences and values, as well as risks and benefits.

Several studies have been published favouring sigmoidectomy with primary anastomosis over Hartmann's procedure for perforated diverticulitis with purulent or faecal peritonitis (Hinchey grade III or IV), but cost-related outcomes were rarely reported. The present study aimed to evaluate costs and cost-effectiveness within the DIVA arm of the Ladies trial.

This was a cost-effectiveness analysis of the DIVA arm of the multicentre randomized Ladies trial, comparing primary anastomosis over Hartmann's procedure for Hinchey grade III or IV diverticulitis. During 12-month follow-up, data on resource use, indirect costs (Short Form Health and Labour Questionnaire) and quality of life (EuroQol Five Dimensions) were collected prospectively, and analysed according to the modified intention-to-treat principle. Main outcomes were incremental cost-effectiveness (ICER) and cost-utility (ICUR) ratios, expressed as the ratio of incremental costs and the incremental probability of being stoma-free or incremental quality-adjusted life-years respectively.

Overall, 130 patients were included, of whom 64 were allocated to primary anastomosis (46 and 18 with Hinchey III and IV disease respectively) and 66 to Hartmann's procedure (46 and 20 respectively). Overall mean costs per patient were lower for primary anastomosis (€20 544, 95 per cent c.i. 19 569 to 21 519) than Hartmann's procedure (€28 670, 26 636 to 30 704), with a mean difference of €-8126 (-14 660 to -1592). The ICER was €-39 094 (95 per cent bias-corrected and accelerated (BCa) c.i. -1213 to -116), indicating primary anastomosis to be more cost-effective. The ICUR was €-101 435 (BCa c.i. -1 113 264 to 251 840).

Primary anastomosis is more cost-effective than Hartmann's procedure for perforated diverticulitis with purulent or faecal peritonitis.

The purpose of the study is to analyze patient outcomes following CT guided drainage of colonic diverticular abscesses and identify the factors associated with development of fistulous communication to the drain.

All patients undergoing CT guided abscess drainage, from 2009 to 2017, were included in this single institutional study. Clinical and demographic variables associated with development of colonic fistula were investigated.

One-hundred-and-five patients (55% female), mean abscess size and BMI of 6.3 cm and 30.28 kg/m², respectively, underwent CT guided abscess drainage. Patients with fistula had longer operative times (p = 0.03). On multivariable analysis, females (p = 0.02) and higher BMI (p = 0.01) were protective against, while increasing size (p = 0.01) was predictive of developing fistulous communication to the drain.

More than half of patients developed colonic fistula after CT guided drainage. Male sex, lower BMI and increasing abscess size were predictive of developing colonic fistula.

The goal of this European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) guideline project is to give an overview of the existing evidence on the management of diverticular disease, primarily as a guidance to surgeons.

The guideline was developed during several working phases including three voting rounds and one consensus meeting. The two project leads (JKS and EA) appointed by the ESCP guideline committee together with one member of the guideline committee (WB) agreed on the methodology, decided on six themes for working groups (WGs) and drafted a list of research questions. Senior WG members, mostly colorectal surgeons within the ESCP, were invited based on publication records and geographical aspects. Other specialties were included in the WGs where relevant. In addition, one trainee or PhD fellow was invited in each WG. All six WGs revised the research questions if necessary, did a literature search, created evidence tables where feasible, and drafted supporting text to each research question and statement. The text and statement proposals from each WG were arranged as one document by the first and last authors before online voting by all authors in two rounds. For the second voting ESCP national representatives were also invited. More than 90% agreement was considered a consensus. The final phrasing of the statements with < 90% agreement was discussed in a consensus meeting at the ESCP annual meeting in Vienna in September 2019. Thereafter, the first and the last author drafted the final text of the guideline and circulated it for final approval and for a third and final online voting of rephrased statements.

This guideline contains 38 evidence based consensus statements on the management of diverticular disease.

This international, multidisciplinary guideline provides an up to date summary of the current knowledge of the management of diverticular disease as a guidance for clinicians and patients.

The Commission on Cancer recently released quality-of-care measures regarding adequate lymphadenectomy for colon, gastric, lung, and bladder cancer. There is currently little information regarding variation in adequate lymph node yield (ALNY) for gastric, lung, and bladder cancer.

The New York State Cancer Registry and Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System were queried for stage I-III gastric, stage I-II lung, and stage II-III bladder cancer resections from 2004 to 2014. Hierarchical models assessed factors associated with ALNY (gastric ≥ 15; lung ≥ 10; bladder ≥ 2). Additionally, the proportions of variation attributable to surgeons, pathologists, and hospitals were estimated among Medicare patients.

Among 3716 gastric, 18,328 lung, and 1512 bladder cancer resections, there were low rates of ALNY (gastric = 53%, lung = 36%, bladder = 67%). When comparing 2004-2006 and 2012-2014, there was significant improvement in ALNY for gastric cancer (39% vs. 68%), but more modest improvement for lung (33% vs. 38%) and bladder (65% vs. 71%) cancer. Large provider-level variation existed for each organ system. After controlling for patient-level factors/variation, the majority of variation was attributable to hospitals (gastric: surgeon = 4%, pathologist = 2.8%, hospital = 40%; lung: surgeon = 13.8%, pathologist = 1.5%, hospital = 18.3%) for gastric and lung cancer. For bladder cancer, most of the variation was attributable to pathologists (surgeon = 3.3%, pathologist = 10.5%, hospital = 6.2%).

ALNY rates are low for gastric, lung, and bladder cancer, with only modest improvement over time for lung and bladder cancer. Given that the proportion of variation attributable to the surgeon, pathologist, and hospital is different for each organ system, future quality improvement initiatives should target the underlying causes, which vary by individual organ system.

The aim of this systematic review was to determine the rates of failure following nonoperative management for acute sigmoid diverticulitis complicated by abscess.

Pubmed and Medline were systematically searched by two independent researchers. Studies reporting outcomes of nonoperative management of diverticulitis with abscess revealed on CT scan were included. The endpoint of the study was failure of nonoperative management which included relapse and recurrence. Relapse was defined as development of additional complications such as peritonitis or obstruction that required urgent surgery during index admission or readmission within 30 days. Recurrence was defined as development of symptoms after an asymptomatic period of 30-90 days following nonoperative management. Nonoperative management included nil per os, intravenous fluids and antibiotics, CT-guided percutaneous drainage, and/or total parenteral nutrition.

Twenty-four of 844 studies yielded by literature search totaling 12,601 patients were eligible for inclusion. Pooled relapse rate was 18.9%. The pooled rate of recurrence of acute diverticulitis was found to be 25.5%. 60.9% of recurrences were complicated diverticulitis. Failure rate appeared to be significantly increased in patients undergoing percutaneous drainage for distant abscess as compared with pericolic abscess (51% vs. 18%; p = 0.0001).

The rate of failure of nonoperative management was 44.4%. The rate of relapse at 30 days following nonoperative management was at 18.9%. Distant abscesses were associated with significantly increased rates of relapse compared with pericolic abscesses. The rate of recurrence following nonoperative management was 25.5% at the mean follow-up of 38 months.

Introduction of the da Vinci Xi system has facilitated the use of robotics in colorectal surgery. Nevertheless, data on the outcomes of robotic surgery for the treatment of colonic diverticulitis have remained scarce.

Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and perioperative outcomes of the patients undergoing totally robotic with the da Vinci Xi system or laparoscopic surgery for left-sided colonic diverticulitis (LCD) were compared.

Laparoscopic and robotic groups included 22 and 20 patients, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of patient demographics, clinical characteristics, operative time, and postoperative complications. There were three conversions in the laparoscopy group and no conversion in the robotic group (P = 0.23). Conversion to open surgery was associated with postoperative morbidity (P = 0.02).

Robotic surgery is an applicable alternative for the treatment of LCD. Robotic approach may potentially lower the risk of operative morbidity by reducing the requirement of conversion.

A 62-year-old previously healthy man presented with left lower quadrant pain and fever. Physical examination showed left lower quadrant peritonitis. Computed tomography scan showed a pelvic abscess with extraluminal air (). Intravenous antibiotics were started, and CT-guided percutaneous drainage was performed. The drain was removed 1 week after discharge. One week later, he presented with dysuria and pneumaturia and was started on antibiotics. Colonoscopy confirmed diverticulosis with no other mucosal abnormalities. He underwent a successful laparoscopic sigmoidectomy with colovesical fistula takedown.