Background: Although colonoscopy verification is warranted after an acute event of diverticulitis to exclude underlying malignancy, little evidence is available to support the recommendations.
Aim: The aim of this study was to examine whether subsequent colonoscopy is warranted in patients with diverticulitis on computed tomography (CT).
Methods: The study was composed of patients diagnosed with acute diverticulitis on CT scan from January 2001 to March 2013. Patients who had subsequent colonoscopy within a year from the date of CT were included. For each diverticulitis case, two age- (± 5 years) and sex-matched controls were identified from healthy individuals who had received screening colonoscopy. We evaluated the diagnostic yield of advanced colonic neoplasia in colonoscopy.
Results: One hundred and forty-nine patients underwent subsequent colonoscopy within a year from the date of CT. Among the patients, 11 (7.4 %) had colon cancer and 5 (3.4 %) had advanced adenoma. A case-control study revealed that the odds of detecting an advanced neoplasia among patients with diverticulitis on CT were approximately 8.8 times greater than in the age- and sex-matched controls [OR 8.84; 95 % CI 2.90-26.96; p < 0.001]. On analysis of the diverticulitis group, age (≥ 50 years) is an independent risk factor for detecting advanced colonic neoplasia.
Conclusions: The yield of advanced colonic neoplasia was substantially higher in patients with acute diverticulitis than in asymptomatic, average-risk individuals. Colonoscopy verification is warranted in patients with diverticulitis detected on CT, especially in those aged 50 years or older.