The septic complications of sigmoid diverticular disease.

In 2 years 41 patients were treated surgically for septic complications of diverticular disease of the sigmoid colon. Nine patients had fistulae arising from sigmoid diverticular disease. Resection of the sigmoid was undertaken as the primary procedure in 8 patients with anastomosis in 5. Thirty-two patients had pericolic abscesses or peritonitis. The outcome (morbidity, length of stay) of the 21 patients who underwent primary resection was compared with that of the 11 patients treated by defunctioning colostomy alone. The better results in the larger group of 21 patients indicate that primary resection should be the treatment of choice for the septic complications of diverticular disease.