Background: Laparoscopic surgery is used with increasing frequency to treat colorectal pathologies and some groups have also attempted to treat the complicated forms of diverticulitis (abscesses and/or fistulas). The results reported in the international literature are still controversial, especially in terms of the duration of surgery, the frequency of laparotomic conversions and postoperative morbidity. The aim of this study was to analyse the results of laparoscopic or laparotomic treatment of diverticular disease of the colon in patients admitted to the Department of Colorectal Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida over a three-year period.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was made of 57 patients with diverticular disease of the colon who were admitted to CCF (Cleveland Clinic Florida) between January 1996 and December 1998 and underwent elective laparoscopic or laparotomic surgery. A comparative analysis was made of the results in the two groups.
Results: Of the 57 patients treated only 15 underwent laparoscopic surgery; the majority were treated for uncomplicated diverticulitis. 22 out of 42 patients (53%) undergoing laparotomic surgery presented complicated diverticulitis (abscesses, fistulas or stenosis), whereas 12 out of 15 patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery (80%) were treated for uncomplicated diverticulitis. Statistically significant differences were found in relation to the duration of surgery: 152 min in the laparotomic group vs 209 in the laparoscopic group. No differences were found in the frequency of intraoperative complications, transfusions and the number of drainages inserted (p=0.66). The postoperative period showed significant differences in terms of the reappearance of intestinal peristalsis, use of PCA and postoperative stay.
Conclusions: This retrospective study confirms that the laparoscopic treatment of colon diverticulitis offers a number of advantages: reduced postoperative pain, more rapid recovery of intestinal peristalsis and shorter postoperative stay. Laparoscopic sigma colectomy represents the treatment of choice for diverticulitis in uncomplicated cases.