Surgical Treatment of Diverticulitis

Surgical evaluation and treatment is commonly required for the treatment of diverticulitis in both the acute and elective situations. This chapter discusses the surgical treatment of the clinically important manifestations of diverticular disease. Different options for surgical treatment are described for patients in both the urgent and elective settings, including technical aspects of these options. Current controversies are reviewed, including resection versus laparoscopic lavage for the treatment of purulent peritonitis, the use of gastrointestinal diversion in the surgical treatment of acute diverticulitis, and timing of operation for recurrent diverticulitis.  This review contains 8 figures, 4 tables, and 67 references. Key Words: acute diverticulitis, complicated diverticulitis, diverticular disease, diverticulitis, diverticulosis, Hartmann procedure, laparoscopic lavage, sigmoid resection with primary anastomosis, uncomplicated diverticulitis