Diverticulosis is a common occurrence in industrialized countries. About 10% to 20% of people with this condition will have attacks of diverticulitis in their lifetime.

Unless you are dealing with complicated diverticulitis, it is now recommended to wait at least three attacks of diverticulitis (with radiological diagnosis) before proceeding with surgical treatment. Elective surgery will then be performed to proceed with the resection of the affected part, usually the left part of the large intestine. We proceed more and more by laparoscopy (small incisions and camera) in order to allow a faster recovery. Of course, in an emergency, a more conventional approach is usually practiced.

It is therefore important to see a doctor if you think you have the signs and symptoms of diverticulitis so that an X-ray diagnosis can be made and appropriate treatment started. A colonoscopy (visual examination of the colon) should also follow any first attack of diverticulitis to ensure the diagnosis and rule out the presence of another lesion on the colon.

D^r Mathieu Bélanger, general surgeon, Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus, Quebec