Colonic diverticulosis is associated with an increased adenoma detection rate in patients undergoing first-time screening colonoscopy.

Background: Diverticulosis is a common finding in patients undergoing colonoscopy. The effect of colonic diverticulosis on the colorectal adenoma detection rate (ADR) and other colonoscopy quality indicators remains unclear.

Objectives: To determine if colonic diverticulosis is associated with differences in (1) colorectal ADR and (2) other quality indicators and operating characteristics in patients undergoing first-time screening colonoscopy.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study conducted at an outpatient surgical center affiliated with an academic medical center.

Results: 300 consecutive patients (190 women) with a median age of 57 years (range: 23-70 years) who underwent colonoscopy for various indications were included. 108 (36%) of these 300 patients had diverticulosis found on colonoscopy. 142 (47.3%) of these patients (88 women, median age of 52 years) underwent their first screening colonoscopy. In this population, the frequency of colonic diverticula was 39.2%, and the ADR was 47.5% for patients with diverticulosis and 27.4% for patients without diverticulosis. Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of diverticulosis had an associated odds ratio of 2.3 (p=0.04) in favor of finding at least one adenoma. No statistically significant differences were found among the rates of total colonoscopy, median scope insertion and withdrawal times, and the amounts of midazolam and fentanyl required for sedation when patients with diverticulosis were compared to those without diverticulosis.

Conclusion: Colonic diverticulosis was associated with an increased ADR in patients undergoing first-time screening colonoscopy. The presence of colonic diverticulosis did not adversely affect the cecal intubation rate, scope insertion or withdrawal times, or sedation requirements.