Learning objectives
Our objective is to describe the CT imaging characteristics of right colon diverticulitis,
the clinical characteristics as well as evolution in a series of 6 patients.
Background
Right colon diverticulitis (RCD) being a fairly uncommon disease in western countries (less tan 5% of the total cases of diverticulitis in published series)[1],
constituted until recent ages a frequently undiagnosed entity in the non surgical scenario.
In the past,
the majority of the patients with RCD faced surgical interventions under the presumptive diagnosis of acute appendicitis (RCD is commonly seen in younger patients compared with other locations of diverticular disease -37 year mean-) [2] posing unnecessary risks given that the current consensus advocate for...
Imaging findings OR Procedure details
We reviewed the radiology department records of our hospital for imaging studies of patients with a final diagnosis of right colon diverticulitis obtaining a list of six patients from 2005 to 2012,
all with definite diagnosis obtained by surgery,
follow-up imaging (CT,
barium enema),
clinical follow-up or colonoscopy.
In all patients an emergency CT study was performed,
additionally,
an abdominal ultrasound was also performed as the initial study in four of them.
Technical parameters of the acquired studies:
4 of the CT studies were obtained...
Conclusion
Imaging studies play a key medical decision-making role in patients with abdominal pain,
especially in low clinical suspicion pathologies.
RCD is a condition of low incidence,
benign course and primarily conservative treatment [9].
The clinical presentation similar to more common diseases affecting a relatively young group of patients [10,11] makes the knowledge of the CT imaging findings mandatory to reach the correct radiologic diagnosis,
avoiding unnecessary surgical procedures.
If a right colonic diverticulum associated with inflammatory changes is identified in conjunction with a normal cecal...
References
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Scatarige,
Elliot K.
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Diverticulitis of the right colon: CT observations.
AJR 148:737-739,
April 1987
Park SJ,
Choi SI,
Lee SH,
Lee KY.
Image-guided conservative management of right colonic diverticulitis.
World J Gastroenterol 2009; 15(46): 5838-5842
Hyun-Jung Jang,
Hyo K.
Lim.
Acute Diverticulitis of the Cecum and Ascending Colon: The Value of Thin-Section Helical CT Findings in Excluding Colonic Carcinoma.
AJR 2000;174:1397–1402
Retert H,
Noldge G,
Encke J,
Richter GM,
Dux M.
The value of CT for the diagnosis of acute diverticulitis.
Radiologe...