Clinical Features and Factors Associated With Surgical Treatment in Patients With Complicated Colonic Diverticulitis

Purpose Colonic diverticulitis is uncommon in Korea, but the incidence is rapidly increasing nowadays. The clinical features and the factors associated with complications of diverticulitis are important for properly treating the disease. Methods A retrospective review of the medical records of 225 patients that were prospectively collected between October 2007 and September 2016 was conducted. Results Diverticulitis was detected mainly in men and women aged 30 to 50 years. Diverticulitis more frequently affected the right colon (n = 194, 86.2%), but age was higher in case of left colonic involvement (42 years vs. 57 years, P < 0.001). Percentages of comorbidities (65.6% vs. 23.8%, P < 0.001), complications (65.6% vs. 6.2%, P < 0.001), and surgical treatment (50.0% vs. 4.1%, P < 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with left colonic diverticulitis. In the multivariate analysis, a risk factor for complicated diverticulitis was left colonic involvement (P < 0.001; relative risk [RR], 47.108; 95% confidence interval [CI], 12.651-175.413). In complicated diverticulitis, age over 50 was the only significant risk factor for surgical treatment (P = 0.024; RR, 19.350; 95% CI, 1.474-254.023). Conclusion In patients over 50 years of age with left colonic diverticulitis, a preventive colectomy should be reconsidered as one of the options for treatment.