[Standards in diagnosis of diverticulitis]

The diagnostic procedure is determined by the severity of the diverticulitis. In complicated cases of diverticulitis, it is necessary to detect those patients with obstructive ileus, perforation, and peritonitis who require instant emergency surgery. In all other cases, diagnostic procedures serve as a tool to determine the best therapeutic options. The CT scan of the abdomen seems to have the highest reliability for determining therapy. Other investigations such as barium enema and coloscopy are not indicated in emergency cases or cannot exactly describe the stage of the diverticular disease. Many surgeons still prefer an enema with water-soluble contrast medium in emergency cases to visualize a perforation. CT scans have the same ability to answer this question, but they are more expensive and are not available everywhere at any given time.