[Small bowel diverticula – diagnosis and complications].

Aquired diverticula of the small bowel (not Meckel?s diverticulum) have a prevalence of 1 to 5 % and are relatively common. They are usually asymptomatic. However, in rare cases they can cause unspecific abdominal symptoms and even critical complications that require surgical intervention. Patients with diverticula of the small bowel were selected from all patients treated at an university hospital of maximal care in a retrospective study covering nine years. In 72 patients with diverticula, 47 % were asymptomatic, 47 % had unspecific abdominal symptoms and 6 % presented acute complications. In 83 % diverticula were localised in the duodenum and proximal jejunum. More distal parts of the small intestine were affected with decreasing frequency. A disseminated affection of the entire small bowel was found in 4 % of all patients. Diagnosis was made by endoscopic techniques in most cases (87 %) and to a smaller extent by CT- and MR-imaging and by other methods. The pattern of complications found is similar to earlier studies. Endoscopic techniques have replaced enteroclysis as the most widespread diagnostic technique in diagnosis of small bowel diverticula. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.