Occlusive ileus as a complication of large intestinal diverticulosis (contribution of two cases)

After a short literature review of diverticulosis of the colon and its complications, the authors give a thorough description of two cases treated by them for sigmoid colon diverticulosis complicated with occlusive ileus. The patients were males aged 68 and 74 years. In both cases the authors had difficulties in making the precise intraoperative diagnosis. Since exclusion of malignancy was impossible (in emergency conditions immediate histological verification was not possible). Hartman's operation ensuring oncological radicalism was performed. The intestinal passage was restored at the second stage of operation. The final histological verification detected chronic inflammatory process due to diverticulosis that had lead to stenosis and occlusion of the intestinal lumen. On the basis of the two cases described herein and the available literature data, the authors accept Hartman's operation as a method of choice in the treatment of occlusive ileus resulting from large intestinal diverticulosis in elderly patients in impaired general condition. If feasible in emergency conditions immediate histological examination should be used to exclude neoplastic process of the colon.