Diverticular disease: an experience at King Faisal specialist hospital

Diverticular disease of the colon is rarely seen in Saudi Arabia and this paper describes our experience with 16 patients admitted to hospital during an 8-year period (March 1990 - February 1998).

A computerized data base of patients having colorectal surgery was searched to identify patients admitted to the colorectal unit suffering from diverticular disease of the colon or it's complications. The records of these patients were examined and form the basis of this report.

Sixteen patients were admitted to the colorectal unit for the management of diverticular disease or it's complications during an 8-year period. One patient presented with a localized abscess which was drained percutaneously. Fifteen patients underwent one or more surgical interventions. There were three female patients. One patient was referred for stoma closure, four for elective surgery and ten with acute perforation of whom one underwent right hemicolectomy for a perforated caecal diverticulum and nine underwent Hartmann's procedure for sigmoid perforation. Two patients required multiple abdominal washouts. Post-operatively two patients developed severe chest infections, one developed renal failure and two urinary infections. Four wounds became infected and two intra abdominal collections were drained percutaneously. No patient died. Eight stomata (89%) were subsequently closed. The mean duration of follow up was 2.7 yr. Four patients were lost to follow up.

This small series documents the presence of diverticular disease and it's complications in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and suggests that the commonest method of presentation may be an acute one. Surgeons must thus be mindful of the condition and take appropriate action. Hartmann's' operation was safe and resulted in a low morbidity and no mortality. 89% of the stomata were closed at a later procedure.