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Diverticulitis: Beyond the Basics

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Complexities in Colorectal Surgery

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Abstract

Diverticulitis is a common problem resulting in approximately 298,000 admissions to US acute care hospitals each year. For every patient admitted to the hospital, a much larger number are treated on an outpatient basis. Despite the increasing prevalence of the disease, our understanding of diverticulitis is still rather rudimentary. In the last decade, the recommendations for diverticulitis have changed markedly due to the widespread use of CT scanning and the ability to classify the severity of the disease, the further refinement of the natural history of the disease, and the risk of recurrent attacks, in addition to the adoption of minimally invasive techniques. This chapter summarizes the controversies and current recommendations for treatment of this common disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Surgery, Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Lahey Clinic, Tufts University School of Medicine, 41 Mall Rd., Burlington, MA, 01805, USA

    Patricia L. Roberts MD

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  1. Patricia L. Roberts MD
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Correspondence to Patricia L. Roberts MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery Department of Surgery, Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, WA, USA

    Scott R. Steele MD

  2. Division of Colorectal Surgery Department of Surgery, UMass Memorial Medical Center University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

    Justin A. Maykel MD

  3. Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery Department of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Bradley J. Champagne MD

  4. Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Science Center LSU School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Guy R. Orangio MD

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(Laparoscopic abscess drainage 3 min) This 58-year-old man presented with diverticulitis and a large abscess not amenable to percutaneous drainage. Laparoscopic drainage was performed dissecting away the loops of small bowel adherent to the abscess. The patient subsequently underwent a laparoscopic sigmoid resection (Video by Jason Hall MD) (MPG 166226 kb)

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Roberts, P.L. (2014). Diverticulitis: Beyond the Basics. In: Steele, S.R., Maykel, J.A., Champagne, B.J., Orangio, G.R. (eds) Complexities in Colorectal Surgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9022-7_4

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