Right-sided diverticulitis--surgical and nonsurgical treatment: two case reports and review of the literature

Right-sided diverticulitis is difficult to distinguish from other sources of right-sided abdominal pain. Diverticula localized to the right colon occur at a rate of 6.6 to 14 per cent. Two types of diverticula have been described in the right colon on the basis of etiologic and pathologic features: multiple diverticula and solitary diverticulum of the cecum. The most common clinical presentation of right-sided colonic diverticula is an acute inflammatory complication, which is difficult to distinguish from other causes of right iliac fossa pain. We present two case reports on right-sided diverticulitis with one treated surgically and the other treated nonsurgically. The clinical manifestations, differential diagnosis and management options are discussed including a review of the literature.