Results of changing trends in the surgical management of complications of diverticular disease.

During the past decade, primary resection with anastomosis has gained acceptance in the surgical treatment of complications arising from diverticular disease of the colon. We have reviewed our experience during the past 10 years to determine whether this approach has clinical validity. Of 673 patients followed over a 10-year period, 93 (14%) required operation. Operative indications were generally limited to urgent complications of the disease: abscess (36), bleeding (18), perforation (10), obstruction (10), and fistula (5). A small group of patients underwent operation for recurrent symptoms (7) and for the suspicion of coexistent carcinoma (8). Initial operative management included resection with anastomosis (44), resection and colostomy (26), and diverting colostomy (23). The overall incidence of complications was significant; the most common complication was infectious in nature: abscess (7), fistula (9), wound infection (11), dehiscence (2), and sepsis (5). Complications were more numerous in patients who did not receive primary resection of the diseased segment 2.1 versus 1.1 complications per patient, respectively), and the duration of hospitalization was significantly greater in this group as well. The perioperative mortality rate of our surgical patients was 6.4%; none of these deaths were associated with resection and anastomosis. These data indicate that resection with primary anastomosis is a sound approach in properly selected patients with urgent complications of diverticular disease, and that aggressive surgical management can yield results that are better than those obtained from the use of colostomy alone.