2024 Clinical Practice Guideline Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America on Complicated Intra-abdominal Infections: Diagnostic Imaging of Suspected Acute Diverticulitis in Adults and Pregnant People.

This paper is part of a clinical practice guideline update on the risk assessment, diagnostic imaging, and microbiological evaluation of complicated intra-abdominal infections in adults, children, and pregnant people, developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. In this paper, the panel provides recommendations for diagnostic imaging of suspected acute diverticulitis. The panel's recommendations are based on evidence derived from systematic literature reviews and adhere to a standardized methodology for rating the certainty of evidence and strength of recommendation according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach.

Follow-Up Colonoscopy for Detection of Missed Colorectal Cancer After Diverticulitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Colonoscopy often is recommended after an episode of diverticulitis to exclude missed colorectal cancer (CRC). This is a controversial recommendation based on limited evidence. We estimated the prevalence and odds of CRC and advanced colorectal neoplasia on colonoscopy in patients with diverticulitis compared with CRC screening. METHODS: Using data from the Gastrointestinal Quality Improvement Consortium registry, we performed a cross-sectional study with patients ≥40 years old undergoing outpatient colonoscopy for an indication of diverticulitis follow-up evaluation or CRC screening. The primary outcome was CRC. The secondary outcome was advanced colorectal neoplasia. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were calculated. RESULTS: We identified 4,591,921 outpatient colonoscopies performed for screening and 91,993 colonoscopies for diverticulitis follow-up evaluation. CRC prevalence was 0.33% in colonoscopies for screening and 0.31% in colonoscopies for diverticulitis. Compared with screening, patients with diverticulitis were less likely to have CRC (adjusted OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.74-0.94). CRC prevalence decreased to 0.17% in colonoscopies performed for diverticulitis only. Compared with screening, patients with diverticulitis as the only indication were less likely to have CRC (adjusted OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.36-0.68). CRC prevalence increased to 1.43% in patients with complicated diverticulitis. Compared with screening, patients with complicated diverticulitis were more likely to have CRC (adjusted OR, 3.57; 95% CI, 1.59-8.01). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of CRC cancer is low in most patients with diverticulitis. Patients with complicated diverticulitis are the exception. Our results suggest that colonoscopy to detect missed CRC should include diverticulitis patients with a complication and those not current with CRC screening.

Smoking and Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Incident Diverticulitis in Women.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Much of what is known about the effects of alcohol and tobacco use on diverticular disease derives from studies of asymptomatic diverticulosis or complicated diverticulitis. We examined smoking and alcohol consumption and risk of incident diverticulitis in a large cohort of women. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study of 84,232 women in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II) who were 39-52 years old and without known diverticulitis at baseline in 2003. Smoking was ascertained every 2 years and alcohol use every 4 years. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate multivariable-adjusted hazards ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: During 1,139,660 person-years of follow up, we identified 3018 incident cases of diverticulitis. After adjustment for other risk factors, current (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.04-1.39) and past smoking (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.11-1.30) were associated with increased risk of diverticulitis when compared with never smokers. Women who consumed ≥30 g/d of alcohol had a multivariate HR of 1.26 (95% CI, 1.05-1.50) when compared with women who did not drink. A joint analysis of smoking and alcohol found that individuals who ever smoked and consumed ≥15 g/d of alcohol were at highest risk of diverticulitis (multivariate HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.16-2.21), compared with participants who never smoked and reported no alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: In this large prospective study of women, smoking and alcohol consumption were associated with an increased risk of incident diverticulitis. These data highlight additional modifiable risk factors for diverticulitis that may aid in prevention.

Nonoperative Treatment of Diverticulitis and Appendicitis: Which Antibiotic Regimen Fails?

INTRODUCTION: Diverticulitis and appendicitis are common emergency general surgical conditions. Both can be treated with antibiotics alone; however, no antibiotic regimen has been identified as superior to others. In this study, we review different antibiotic regimens and their rates of failure. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of patients treated empirically with antibiotics for diverticulitis or appendicitis from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020, at an independent academic hospital in the Midwest. RESULTS: A total of 587 (appendicitis, n = 43; diverticulitis, n = 544) patients were included in the cohort. They were equally male (49%) and female (51%) with a median age of 59 y. Three major antibiotic classes were compared: cephalosporin + metronidazole (C + M), penicillins, and quinolone + metronidazole. Appendicitis patients were more likely to receive C + M for empiric treatment (73%, P < 0.001), while diverticulitis patients were more likely to receive quinolone + metronidazole (45%, P < 0.001). Patients empirically treated with antibiotics for appendicitis were more likely than those treated for diverticulitis to require additional antibiotics or procedure within 90 d (33% versus 13%, respectively; P = 0.005). Empiric treatment with C + M for diverticulitis was more likely to be associated with the need for additional antibiotics or procedures within 90 d than treatment with other regimens (P = 0.003). Choice of antibiotic for empiric treatment did not correlate with death at 90 d for appendicitis or diverticulitis. Diverticulitis patients who were initially treated as inpatients and were prescribed C + M at hospital discharge had a higher rate of death than those who were prescribed the other antibiotics (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Empiric antibiotic treatment of appendicitis is more likely to be associated with additional antibiotics or procedure when compared with diverticulitis; however, antibiotic choice did not correlate with any of the other outcomes. Empiric treatment with a C + M for diverticulitis was more likely to be correlated with the need for additional antibiotics or procedure within 90 d.

Diverticulosis and risk of diverticulitis in 10 years; a Swedish retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Diverticulosis is a common condition and is thought to be increasing in the Western population. Several studies have attempted to estimate the prevalence of diverticulosis and it's inflamed state, diverticulitis, with results varying depending on study population and methodology, The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of diverticulosis in patients undergoing colonoscopy at a Swedish academic referral centre and to study the incidence of diverticulitis in a 10-year follow-up. METHODS: All patients who had undergone colonoscopy at the Endoscopy unit, Skåne University Hospital, Sweden, during 01 January 2010 through 31 December 2011 were identified. The colonoscopy referrals, colonoscopy reports, and medical records until 14 June 2022 were reviewed. RESULTS: In all, 2648 patients were included in the study, whereof 910 patients had reported diverticulosis (34.4%). During the 10-year follow-up, the overall incidence of computed tomography verified diverticulitis was 4.4%, and 0.6% for patients with and without diverticulosis at index colonoscopy, respectively. Of the 50 patients that developed diverticulitis, 21 were complicated and 29 uncomplicated. CONCLUSION: Diverticulosis is a common condition in the population, although most patients will not develop diverticulitis.

Identification of diverticular disease in Swedish healthcare registers: a validation study.

PURPOSE: The Swedish National Patient Register (SNPR) is frequently used in studies of colonic diverticular disease (DD). Despite this, the validity of the coding for this specific disease in the register has not been studied. METHODS: From SNPR, 650 admissions were randomly identified encoded with ICD 10, K572-K579. From the years 2002 and 2010, 323 and 327 patients respectively were included in the validation study. Patients were excluded prior to, or up to 2 years after a diagnosis with IBD, Celiac disease, IBS, all forms of colorectal cancer (primary and secondary), and anal cancer. Medical records were collected and data on clinical findings with assessments, X-ray examinations, endoscopies and laboratory results were reviewed. The basis of coding was compared with internationally accepted definitions for colonic diverticular disease. Positive predictive values (PPV) were calculated. RESULTS: The overall PPV for all diagnoses and both years was 95% (95% CI: 93-96). The PPV for the year 2010 was slightly higher 98% (95% CI: 95-99) than in the year 2002, 91% (95% CI: (87-94) which may be due to the increasing use of computed tomography (CT). CONCLUSION: The validity of DD in SNPR is high, making the SNPR a good source for population-based studies on DD.

Does surgery improve quality of life in patients with ongoing- or recurrent diverticulitis; a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Recurrences or persistent symptoms after an initial episode of diverticulitis are common, yet surgical treatment is rarely performed. Current guidelines lack clear recommendations on whether or not to operate, even though recent studies suggest an improved quality of life following surgery. The aim of this study is therefore to compare quality of life in patients with recurrent or ongoing diverticulitis treated conservatively versus surgically, giving a more definitive answer to the question of whether or not to operate on these patients. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted in EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane. Only comparative studies reporting on quality of life were included. Statistical analysis included calculation of weighted mean differences and pooled odds ratios. RESULTS: Five studies were included; two RCT's and three retrospective observational studies. Compared to conservative treatment, the SF-36 scores were higher in the surgically treated group at each follow-up moment but only the difference in SF-36 physical scores at six months follow-up was statistically significant (MD 6.02, 95%CI 2.62-9.42). GIQLI scores were also higher in the surgical group with a MD of 14.01 (95%CI 8.15-19.87) at six months follow-up and 7.42 (95%CI 1.23-12.85) at last available follow-up. Also, at last available follow-up, significantly fewer recurrences occurred in the surgery group (OR 0.10, 95%CI 0.05-0.23, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Although surgery for recurrent diverticulitis is not without risk, it might improve long-term quality of life in patients suffering from recurrent- or ongoing diverticulitis when compared to conservative treatment. Therefore, it should be considered in this patient group.

The early biomarker of immature granulocyte count in predicting right-side colonic complicated acute diverticulitis: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Early identification of complicated acute diverticulitis(cAD) is especially significant for clinical physician and surgeon to reduce the antibiotic usage and the risk of emergency surgery. This study was aimed to investigate the significance of immature granulocyte(IG) count in early prediction for right-side(Rt-side) cAD. METHODS: The patients with Rt-side colonic acute diverticulitis was enrolled between January, 2019 and March, 2024, and divided into complicated and simple acute diverticulitis group(cAD and sAD). The data about demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters were collected and compared. Logistic regression analysis and receiver operator characteristic(ROC) curves were used to assess the predictive values of these parameters for Rt-side complicated diverticulitis. RESULTS: 289 participants who met the inclusion criteria were followed as 31 patients in cAD group and 258 in sAD group. Compared to sAD group, cAD group had the higher body mass index(BMI) and peripheral blood routine parameters, especially IG count, systemic immune inflammation index(SII) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR), with the statistically significant differences(P<0.001). Moreover, logistic regression analysis indicated that IG count was a significant and independent predictors for cAD(OR 4.92, 95%CI 3.86-8.39). In the ROC analysis, area under the ROC curves (AUC) was found for IG count(0.93(95%CI 0.88-0.99) ) and SII(0.88(95%CI 0.820-0.95)). The optimal cut-off value of IG count was 0.10 with the largest sensitivity of 80.60% and specificity of 100.00% for identifying Rt-side colonic complicated diverticulitis. CONCLUSION: IG count was a more comparable and independent predictor for Rt-side colonic complicated diverticulitis with a largest AUC than other markers in complete blood count (CBC). Given its early arise, easy accessibility and no-radiation, it can largely convince physicians' decision-making of antibiotic abuse and surgeons' early intervention in Rt-side colonic cAD.

Hospital Admission, Medical, and Surgical Procedures for Acute Diverticulitis Are More Appropriate when Using a Diagnostic and Therapeutic Assistance Pathway: An Experience from a Referral Center.

INTRODUCTION: Our aim was to assess the impact of the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Assistance Pathway (PDTA) developed for acute diverticulitis (AD) on the management of patients with AD and referring to the emergency room (ER) in a referral center. METHODS: This retrospective study includes all patients diagnosed with AD and referring to the ER between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022 (after approval of PDTA), compared to the same period of 2015-2019. Length of stay in ER, medical and surgical management, and length in hospital stay (in days) were also measured according to the type of disease (uncomplicated vs. complicated). RESULTS: ER admission due to AD during the period 2015-2019 was 240 ± 13 cases per year, while it was 290 cases in 2022 (p = 0.05). After adopting the PDTA, the rate of length of stay in ER >24 h for AD was significantly reduced (p = 0.01); the median rate of hospital admission for AD was significantly reduced (p < 0.05); the rate of medical treatment of uncomplicated disease was increased (p = 0.01), while the rate of surgical management was decreased (p = 0.05); the rate of medical treatment of complicated disease was increased (p = 0.01), while the rate of surgical management was decreased (p = 0.001); the hospital stay was significantly reduced in both uncomplicated (p = 0.05) and complicated (p = 0.05) AD. CONCLUSIONS: The development and the routine use of a PDTA dedicated to AD have significantly improved the management of these patients, reducing the ER stay, the surgical procedures, and the overall hospital stay.

A novel scoring system for predicting disease severity without CT imaging in acute diverticulitis.

PURPOSE: Clinical scoring could help physicians identify patients with suspected acute diverticulitis who would benefit from further evaluation using computed tomography imaging. The aim of the study was to identify risk factors for complicated acute diverticulitis and create a risk score to predict disease severity in acute diverticulitis. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with CT-verified acute diverticulitis between 2015 and 2017 were included. Data on patients' clinical and laboratory findings and medical histories were collected retrospectively. Risk factors for complicated acute diverticulitis were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses. Continuous laboratory values were categorised by cut-off points determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The Acute Diverticulitis Severity Score was formulated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the total 513 patients included in the study, 449 (88%) had UAD, and 64 (12%) had CAD. Older age, significant comorbidities, C-reactive protein level, leucocyte count, vomiting, and body temperature were found to be independently associated with a higher risk for CAD. The novel Acute Diverticulitis Severity Score could reliably detect patients with CAD. The area under the ROC curve was 0.856 (p < 0.001) in discriminating disease severity. While higher scores indicate radiological studies, patients with low scores face an almost non-existent risk for complicated disease, making such studies possibly redundant. CONCLUSIONS: The Acute Diverticulitis Severity Score accurately separated patients with uncomplicated disease from those at risk for complicated disease. This score can be applied in daily clinical practice to select patients requiring further investigation, consequently reducing healthcare costs and burdens.

Management of acute uncomplicated diverticulitis and adherence to current guidelines-a multicentre SNAPSHOT study.

PURPOSE: To explore whether previous participation in clinical studies increases adherence to management guidelines in acute uncomplicated diverticulitis (AUD). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was designed to give a SNAPSHOT of the management of AUD at six hospitals, three of which had participated in the AVOD trial comparing antibiotic versus non-antibiotic treatment of AUD. Patients with AUD were included from March 2019 through June 2020 and followed for 90 days. The primary outcome was treatment of AUD categorised by antibiotic treatment and inpatient or outpatient management compared between AVOD and non-AVOD hospitals. Descriptive statistics were compiled, and differences between hospitals were assessed with Pearson's chi-squared test. RESULTS: The cohort included 449 patients with AUD of which 63% were women and the median age was 63 (IQR: 52-73) years. Patient characteristics were comparable across the hospitals. Antibiotics were administered to 84 (19%) patients and 113 (25%) patients were managed as inpatients. Management varied significantly between AVOD and non-AVOD hospitals. The mean proportion of patients treated with antibiotics was 7% at AVOD hospitals compared to 38% at non-AVOD hospitals (p < 0.001). The mean proportion of in-hospital management was 18% at AVOD hospitals versus 38% at non-AVOD hospitals (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Most patients with AUD were managed according to current guidelines. However, the management varies between hospitals and previous participation in clinical studies may increase knowledge of and adherence to guidelines.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the management of acute uncomplicated diverticulitis: time to change traditional practice.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate comparative outcomes of outpatient (OP) versus inpatient (IP) treatment and antibiotics (ABX) versus no antibiotics (NABX) approach in the treatment of uncomplicated (Hinchey grade 1a) acute diverticulitis. METHODS: A systematic online search was conducted using electronic databases. Comparative studies of OP versus IP treatment and ABX versus NABX approach in the treatment of Hinchey grade 1a acute diverticulitis were included. Primary outcome was recurrence of diverticulitis. Emergency and elective surgical resections, development of complicated diverticulitis, mortality rate, and length of hospital stay were the other evaluated secondary outcome parameters. RESULTS: The literature search identified twelve studies (n = 3,875) comparing NABX (n = 2,008) versus ABX (n = 1,867). The NABX group showed a lower disease recurrence rate and shorter length of hospital stay compared with the ABX group (P = 0.01) and (P = 0.004). No significant difference was observed in emergency resections (P = 0.33), elective resections (P = 0.73), development of complicated diverticulitis (P = 0.65), hospital re-admissions (P = 0.65) and 30-day mortality rate (P = 0.91). Twelve studies (n = 2,286) compared OP (n = 1,021) versus IP (n = 1,265) management of uncomplicated acute diverticulitis. The two groups were comparable for the following outcomes: treatment failure (P = 0.10), emergency surgical resection (P = 0.40), elective resection (P = 0.30), disease recurrence (P = 0.22), and mortality rate (P = 0.61). CONCLUSION: Observation-only treatment is feasible and safe in selected clinically stable patients with uncomplicated acute diverticulitis (Hinchey 1a classification). It may provide better outcomes including decreased length of hospital stay. Moreover, the OP approach in treating patients with Hinchey 1a acute diverticulitis is comparable to IP management. Future high-quality randomised controlled studies are needed to understand the outcomes of the NABX approach used in an OP setting in managing patients with uncomplicated acute diverticulitis.

Development of an image-based Random Forest classifier for prediction of surgery duration of laparoscopic sigmoid resections.

PURPOSE: Sigmoid diverticulitis is a disease with a high socioeconomic burden, accounting for a high number of left-sided colonic resections worldwide. Modern surgical scheduling relies on accurate prediction of operation times to enhance patient care and optimize healthcare resources. This study aims to develop a predictive model for surgery duration in laparoscopic sigmoid resections, based on preoperative CT biometric and demographic patient data. METHODS: This retrospective single-center cohort study included 85 patients who underwent laparoscopic sigmoid resection for diverticular disease. Potentially relevant procedure-specific anatomical parameters recommended by a surgical expert were measured in preoperative CT imaging. After random split into training and test set (75% / 25%) multiclass logistic regression was performed and a Random Forest classifier was trained on CT imaging parameters, patient age, and sex in the training cohort to predict categorized surgery duration. The models were evaluated in the test cohort using established performance metrics including receiver operating characteristics area under the curve (AUROC). RESULTS: The Random Forest model achieved a good average AUROC of 0.78. It allowed a very good prediction of long (AUROC = 0.89; specificity 0.71; sensitivity 1.0) and short (AUROC = 0.81; specificity 0.77; sensitivity 0.56) procedures. It clearly outperformed the multiclass logistic regression model (AUROC: average = 0.33; short = 0.31; long = 0.22). CONCLUSION: A Random Forest classifier trained on demographic and CT imaging biometric patient data could predict procedure duration outliers of laparoscopic sigmoid resections. Pending validation in a multicenter study, this approach could potentially improve procedure scheduling in visceral surgery and be scaled to other procedures.

Outcomes of initially nonoperative management of diverticulitis with abscess formation in immunosuppressed patients. DIPLICAB study COLLABORATIVE group.

AIM: Management of diverticulitis with abscess formation in immunosuppressed patients (IMS) remains unclear. The main objective of the study was to assess short- and long-term outcomes between IMS and immunocompetent patients (IC). The secondary aim was to identify risk factors for emergency surgery. METHODS: A nationwide retrospective cohort study was performed at 29 Spanish referral centres between 2015-2019 including consecutive patients with first episode of diverticulitis classified as modified Hinchey Ib or II. IMS included immunosuppressive therapy, biologic therapy, malignant neoplasm with active chemotherapy and chronic steroid therapy. A multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors to emergency surgery in IMS. RESULTS: A total of 1395 patients were included; 118 IMS and 1277 IC. There were no significant differences in emergency surgery between IMS and IC (19.5% and 13.5%, p = 0.075) but IMS was associated with higher mortality (15.1% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.001). Similar recurrent episodes were found between IMS and IC (28% vs. 28.2%, p = 0.963). Following multivariate analysis, immunosuppressive treatment, p = 0.002; OR: 3.35 (1.57-7.15), free gas bubbles, p < 0.001; OR: 2.91 (2.01-4.21), Hinchey II, p = 0.002; OR: 1.88 (1.26-2.83), use of morphine, p < 0.001; OR: 3.08 (1.98-4.80), abscess size ≥5 cm, p = 0.001; OR: 1.97 (1.33-2.93) and leucocytosis at third day, p < 0.001; OR: 1.001 (1.001-1.002) were independently associated with emergency surgery in IMS. CONCLUSION: Nonoperative management in IMS has been shown to be safe with similar treatment failure than IC. IMS presented higher mortality in emergency surgery and similar rate of recurrent diverticulitis than IC. Identifying risk factors to emergency surgery may anticipate emergency surgery.

Stenosis of the colorectal anastomosis after surgery for diverticulitis: A national retrospective cohort study.

AIM: The aim of this work was to investigate the association between early postoperative anastomotic leakage or pelvic abscess (AL/PA) and symptomatic anastomotic stenosis (SAS) in patients after surgery for left colonic diverticulitis. METHOD: This is a retrospective study based on a national cohort of diverticulitis surgery patients carried out by the Association Française de Chirurgie. The assessment was performed using path analyses. The database included 7053 patients operated on for colonic diverticulitis, with surgery performed electively or in an emergency, by open access or laparoscopically. Patients were excluded from the study analysis where there was (i) right-sided diverticulitis (the initial database included all consecutive patients operated on for colonic diverticulitis), (ii) no anastomosis was performed during the first procedure or (iii) missing information about stenosis, postoperative abscess or anastomotic leakage. RESULTS: Of the 4441 patients who were included in the final analysis, AL/PA occurred in 327 (4.6%) and SAS occurred in 82 (1.8%). AL/PA was a significant independent factor associated with a risk for occurrence of SAS (OR = 3.41, 95% CI = 1.75-6.66), as was the case for diverting stoma for ≥100 days (OR = 2.77, 95% CI = 1.32-5.82), while central vessel ligation proximal to the inferior mesenteric artery was associated with a reduced risk (OR = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.19-0.88). Diverting stoma created for <100 days or ≥100 days was also a factor associated with a risk for AL/PA (OR = 3.08, 95% CI = 2-4.75 and OR = 12.95, 95% CI = 9.11-18.50). Interestingly, no significant association between radiological drainage or surgical management of AL/PA and SAS could be highlighted. CONCLUSION: AL/PA was an independent factor associated with the risk for SAS. The treatment of AL/PA was not associated with the occurrence of anastomotic stenosis. Diverting stoma was associated with an increased risk of both AL/PA and SAS, especially if it was left for ≥100 days. Physicians must be aware of this information in order to decide on the best course of action when creating a stoma during elective or emergency surgery.

Short- and long-term outcomes of acute diverticulitis in patients with transplanted kidneys.

AIM: The safety of nonoperative treatment for patients with transplanted kidneys who develop acute diverticulitis is unclear. Our primary aim was to examine the long-term sequelae of nonoperative management in this group. METHOD: We performed a population-based retrospective cohort study using linked administrative databases housed at ICES in Ontario, Canada. We included adult (≥18 years) patients admitted with acute diverticulitis between April 2002 and December 2019. Patients with a functioning kidney transplant were compared with those without a transplant. The primary outcome was failure of conservative management (operation, drainage procedure or death due to acute diverticulitis) beyond 30 days. The cumulative incidence function and a Fine-Grey subdistribution hazard model were used to evaluate this outcome accounting for competing risks. RESULTS: We examined 165 patients with transplanted kidneys and 74 095 without. Patients with transplanted kidneys were managed conservatively 81% of the time at the index event versus 86% in nontransplant patients. Short-term outcomes were comparable, but cumulative failure of conservative management at 5 years occurred in 5.6% (95% CI 2.3%-11.1%) of patients with transplanted kidneys versus 2.1% (95% CI 2.0%-2.3%) in those without. Readmission for acute diverticulitis was also higher in transplanted patients at 5 years at 16.7% (95% CI 10.1%-24.7%) versus 11.6% (95% CI 11.3%-11.9%). Adjusted analyses showed increased failure of conservative management [subdistribution hazard ratio (sHR) 3.24, 95% CI 1.69-6.22] and readmissions (sHR 1.55, 95% CI 1.02-2.36) for patients with transplanted kidneys. CONCLUSION: Most patients with transplanted kidneys are managed conservatively for acute diverticulitis. Although long-term readmission and failure of conservative management is higher for this group than the nontransplant population, serious outcomes are infrequent, substantiating the safety of this approach.

Inpatient treatment of acute diverticulitis between 2010 and 2021 - A German nationwide study about long-term trends and effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

AIM: The aims of this study were to analyse all hospitalizations for acute diverticulitis in Germany from 2010 to 2021 and to assess the effects of the first 2 years of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on hospitalizations for acute diverticulitis. METHOD: Using data from the German Federal Statistical Office, we analysed fully anonymized healthcare data of hospitalizations and treatment regimens with acute diverticulitis as the main diagnosis between 2010 and 2021. Logistic regression analyses for in-hospital mortality were performed. RESULTS: A total of 608,162 hospitalizations were included. While the number of hospitalizations constantly increased until 2019 (+52.4%), a relative decrease of 10.1% was observed between 2019 and 2020, followed by stable numbers of hospitalizations in 2021 (+1.1% compared with 2020). In-hospital mortality showed a relative decrease of 33.2% until 2019 and thereafter a relative increase of 26.9% in 2020 and of 7.5% in 2021. A 21.6% and a 19.3% drop in hospitalizations was observed during the first and second waves of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, mostly affecting hospitalizations for uncomplicated diverticulitis, with a corresponding 11.6% and 16.8% increase in admissions for complicated diverticulitis. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed significantly higher in-hospital mortality for hospitalizations in which surgery (OR = 2.76) and CT (OR = 1.32) were given, as well as lower mortality for women (OR = 0.88), whereas percutaneous drainage was not associated with higher in-hospital mortality compared with conservative treatment (OR = 0.71). CONCLUSION: This study points out the long-term trends in inpatient treatment for acute diverticulitis and the in-hospital mortality risk factors of patients hospitalized for acute diverticulitis in a large nationwide cohort, as well as changes in these trends and factors resulting from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. These changes might be attributable to delayed diagnosis and thus more severe stages of disease as a result of containment measures.

Effectiveness of Antibiotics for Uncomplicated Diverticulitis: A Retrospective Investigation Using a Nationwide Database in Japan.

INTRODUCTION: The efficacy of antibiotics for diverticulitis without abscess or peritonitis (uncomplicated diverticulitis) is controversial. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of antibiotics for uncomplicated diverticulitis. METHODS: We collected admission data for patients with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis using a nationwide database. We divided eligible admissions into two groups according to antibiotic initiation within 2 days after admission (antibiotic group vs. nonantibiotic group). We conducted propensity score matching and compared the rates of surgery (intestinal resection and stoma creation), in-hospital death, and medical costs between the groups. We also performed multivariate analysis to identify the clinical factors that affect surgery. RESULTS: We enrolled 131,936 admissions; among these, we obtained 6,061 pairs after propensity score matching. Rates of both intestinal resection and stoma creation in the antibiotic group were lower than those in the nonantibiotic group (0.61 vs. 3.09%, p < 0.0001, and 0.08 vs. 0.26%, p = 0.027, respectively). Median costs in the antibiotic group were higher than those in the nonantibiotic group (315,820 JPY vs. 300,175 JPY, p < 0.0001, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that non-initiation of antibiotics within 2 days after admission was a clinical factor that increased the risk of intestinal resection (odds ratio [OR] = 5.19, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.38-6.16, p < 0.0001) and stoma creation (OR = 2.68, 95% CI: 1.53-4.70, p = 0.0006). CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that antibiotics for uncomplicated diverticulitis expected to have moderate to severe disease activity may reduce the risk of intestinal resection and stoma creation. Further investigations are warranted.

Primary anastomosis with diverting loop ileostomy vs. Hartmann's procedure for acute diverticulitis: what happens after discharge? Results of a nationwide analysis.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend resection with primary anastomosis with diverting loop ileostomy over Hartmann's procedure if deemed safe for acute diverticulitis. The primary objective of the current study was to compare the utilization of these strategies and describe nationwide ostomy closure patterns and readmission outcomes within 1 year of discharge. METHODS: This was a retrospective, population-based, cohort study of United States Hospitals reporting to the Nationwide Readmissions Database from January 2011 to December 2019. There were 35,774 patients identified undergoing non-elective primary anastomosis with diverting loop ileostomy or Hartmann's procedure for acute diverticulitis. Rates of ostomy closure, unplanned readmissions, and complications were compared. Cox proportional hazards and logistic regression models were used to control for patient and hospital-level confounders as well as severity of disease. RESULTS: Of the 35,774 patients identified, 93.5% underwent Hartmann's procedure. Half (47.2%) were aged 46-65 years, 50.8% female, 41.2% publicly insured, and 91.7% underwent open surgery. Primary anastomosis was associated with higher rates of 1-year ostomy closure (83.6% vs. 53.4%, p < 0.001) and shorter time-to-closure [median 72 days (Interquartile range 49-103) vs. 115 (86-160); p < 0.001]. Primary anastomosis was associated with increased unplanned readmissions [Hazard Ratio = 2.83 (95% Confidence Interval 2.83-3.37); p < 0.001], but fewer complications upon stoma closure [Odds Ratio 0.51 (95% 0.42-0.63); p < 0.001]. There were no differences in complications between primary anastomosis and Hartmann's procedure during index admission [Odds Ratio = 1.13 (95% Confidence Interval 0.96-1.33); p = 0.137]. CONCLUSION: Patients who undergo primary anastomosis for acute diverticulitis are more likely to undergo ostomy reversal and experience fewer postoperative complications upon stoma reversal. These data support the current national guidelines that recommend primary anastomosis in appropriate cases of acute diverticulitis requiring operative treatment.

Treating a Bypass with Bypass Surgery: Repair of a Duodeno-sigmoid Fistula Complicating Acute Diverticulitis.

Diverticular disease is common in Western countries; one-third of patients with diverticular disease develop diverticulitis during their lifetime of whom 5% may experience serious complications. We describe a rare complication of diverticulitis: a duodeno-colic fistula in a patient with an elongated sigmoid colon (dolicosigma). The patient complained of abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and feculent vomiting. Radiological studies and gastroscopy demonstrated a fistula between the second portion of the duodenum and the sigmoid colon. Curative surgery cured the fistula and completely resolved its associated signs and symptoms.