Acute Diverticulitis

Publication Date: December 1, 2015

Key Points

Key Points

Acute diverticulitis is defined as clinically evident macroscopic inflammation of a diverticulum or diverticula.

Acute diverticulitis occurs in <10% of patients with diverticulosis.

10–20% of those patients will have complicated disease, defined as an abscess, perforation, fistula, or colonic obstruction.

10–25% of patients who have a first attack of diverticulitis will have a subsequent recurrence.

Antibiotics are often prescribed for acute diverticulitis, but can often be avoided in mild cases.

A colonoscopy should generally be performed after resolution of acute diverticulitis if not recently done.

The AGA suggests a fiber-rich diet and physical activity after resolution of acute diverticulitis.

Management

AGA Recomme...

...that antibiotics should be used selec...

...uggests that colonoscopy be performed a...

...s against elective colonic resecti...

...ests a fiber-rich diet or fiber sup...

...GA suggests against routinely advising patients...

...GA suggests against routinely advising p...

...suggests advising patients with a history...

...mends against the use of mesalamine...

...ts against the use of rifaximin aft...

...suggests against the use of probiotics...

The AGA suggests advising patients with diver...