The prevalence of right-sided colonic diverticulosis in a New Zealand population.
ANZ J Surg
; 91(10): 2110-2114, 2021 10.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34124829
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Once considered to be a congenital condition, the epidemiology of right-sided colonic diverticulosis (RCD) is evolving. Acute diverticulitis (AD) is a complication of RCD which is frequently misdiagnosed as appendicitis, resulting in unnecessary surgery, as there is strong evidence supporting medical management for right-sided AD. In general, the incidence of AD correlates with the prevalence of RCD, which shows marked geographic variation. Few data reporting RCD prevalence come from Western countries, so the aim of this study is to define the prevalence of RCD in a New Zealand population.METHODS:
Independent review of the imaging from 1000 consecutive patients undergoing a computed tomography Kidney/Ureter/Bladder scan for suspected urolithiasis at Christchurch Hospital between January and November 2017 was undertaken, to determine the presence or absence, and distribution of colonic diverticulosis. Patients were excluded if they had a history of colonic resection, known IBD, or were less than 18-years old.RESULTS:
Thirty-one patients were excluded, leaving 969 eligible patients. Overall, 95 patients (9.8%) had RCD identified. The prevalence of RCD increased significantly with advancing age, being present in 2.3% of those aged 18-29, increasing to 20.3% in those greater than 70-years old (p < 0.001).CONCLUSION:
The prevalence of RCD in a New Zealand population is relatively high and increases significantly with age. This adds support to the role of cross-sectional imaging in the evaluation of suspected appendicitis, to exclude right-sided AD. The association with advancing age supports RCD being an acquired condition rather than a congenital condition as was previously thought.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Appendicitis
/
Diverticulosis, Colonic
/
Diverticulitis, Colonic
Type of study:
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Aged
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Oceania
Language:
En
Journal:
ANZ J Surg
Year:
2021
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
New Zealand