Rectal and colonic studies after resection of the sigmoid for diverticular disease.

Spontaneous basal rectal activity, recorded after resection of the sigmoid colon for diverticular disease, was more than twice the normal. The rectum of post-resection cases yielded a markedly exaggerated overall response to prostigmine, in addition to producing abundant fast wave patterns. The response to stretch of the apparently normal colonic muscle remaining after resection of the sigmoid for diverticular disease resembled unresected diverticular segments, though less in degree, suggesting that a fundamental disorder of colonic muscle may be involved in the aetiology of colonic diverticula.