Right colonic diverticulitis: an uncommon disease in western countries

• Published in: Acta chirurgica belgica Vol. 110; no. 1; p. 57
• Main Authors: Carloni, A, Sage, E, Roudié, J, Balzarotti, R, Maitre, S, Sbai-Idrissi, M, Smadja, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 2010
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Colectomy - methods; Colonoscopy; Diverticulitis, Colonic - diagnosis; Diverticulitis, Colonic - epidemiology; Diverticulitis, Colonic - surgery; Female; Follow-Up Studies; France - epidemiology; Humans; Laparotomy; Male; Middle Aged; Morbidity - trends; Retrospective Studies; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome; France
• DOI: 10.1080/00015458.2010.11680566
• ISSN: 0001-5458

Right colonic diverticulitis is not a frequent disease and its management is still controversial. In this study we describe our experience. We retrospectively reviewed all patients operated on because of a right colonic diverticulitis in our surgical unit. All patients were treated laparoscopically. Demographics, diagnostic and surgical results were recorded. Between January 1994 and January 2007, 11 patients (7 males and 4 females) mean age 53 +/- 9 years (range 39-68), ASA 1: 6 patients, ASA 2: 4 patients, ASA 3: one patient, and BMI 27.8 (range 25-31), had right colonic diverticulitis. Four patients underwent emergency operations: one for peritonitis and three with an erroneous diagnosis of acute appendicitis; seven were operated on electively. There were no deaths or complications. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 5.6 days (range, 3-9). After a mean follow-up of 6.3 years (range 1-13) all patients of this series are symptom-free. Right colon diverticulitis diagnosis remains difficult. A pre-operative imaging screening is necessary to successfully face this challenging disease. Laparoscopy is a safe and effective method to treat these patients. Colectomy should be considered a good therapeutic option for right colonic diverticulitis, although a conservative approach could be proposed in selected cases.