Treatment Options for Perforated Colonic Diverticular Disease

Diverticular disease is one of the most common diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract requiring in-hospital treatment in Western countries. Despite its high incidence, controversies remain about the optimal treatment of the different stages of this disease. Most people with diverticular disease remain asymptomatic; however, approximately 15% develop symptoms, and of these, 15% will develop significant complications such as perforation [1]. Although the absolute prevalence of perforated diverticulitis (PD) complicated by generalized peritonitis is low, its importance lies in the significant postoperative mortality rate, ranging from 4–26% [2–4]. Owing to the low prevalence of generalized peritonitis due to PD (GPPD), strategies for the treatment of this stage of diverticulitis are even less thoroughly investigated. There are two major reasons for this....