[Is there progress in the operative treatment of sigmoid diverticulitis]

A high percentage of people in the civilized Western world develops colonic diverticula. Signs of illness are coming from inflammation around the diverticula. Resection therapy is indicated after several inflammation episodes. The operation has often to be performed in case of emergency: Ileus, bleeding, perforation. We recommend the primary resection of the sigmoid colon with an transverse colostomy or the Hartmann operation even in case of perforation or peritonitis. We operated 140 patients. The mortality rate in our hospital was 12% of the elective and 27% of the emergency operations.