[Changes in surgery of diverticulitis]

This retrospective study investigates the surgical progress in the treatment of diverticular disease during the last two decades. We reviewed 304 patients (149 women and 155 men) operated for diverticular disease from 1970-1992 at the Surgical Clinic of Steglitz Medical Center, Free University of Berlin. Comparing the results between the first and the second decade, we observed a significant increase in the total number of patients who have been treated surgically (from 118 to 186) and in the proportion of elective surgery (from 45% to 57%). In the second decade, early elective resection in selected patients with a severe diverticulitis and primary resection for perforated diverticulitis were the procedures of choice. Through this concept the over-all operative mortality rate could be reduced from 24% in the first to 7% in the last decade of this report.