[Surgery for complicated colonic diverticulitis. Our experience]

During the last two decades were observed 422 symptomatic patients with various degree of diverticular disease of the colon. 51 patients underwent surgery: 29 for stenosis (24) or occlusion (5), 4 for fistulas, 18 for perforation. The operations (26 emergencies, 25 elective) included: 21 cases of one-stage resection and anastomosis without protective colostomy, 16 with colostomy, 8 Hartmann's procedures, 7 Mikulicz's operations, 1 suturing of the diverticulum with colostomy. The incidence of complications was 17.6% (9 cases, 7 following emergency surgery and 2 after elective procedures). The intraoperative mortality was zero, while postoperative 5.8% (3 cases, 2 after emergency procedures and 1 following elective surgery). The best results (lowest morbidity and mortality rates) occurred with the radical procedures, especially the resection-anastomosis with or without colostomy, which allowed the removal of the septic focus from the peritoneal cavity and thus a shorter recovery in a high number of cases.