Background: Hartmann's procedure (HP) followed by reversal restoration is the first choice for treatment of diffuse diverticular peritonitis. There is no unanimous consensus regarding the use of laparoscopy to treat the same condition.
Methods: Data from 60 patients with diverticular diffuse peritonitis who underwent urgent HP followed by laparoscopic reversal were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the open or laparoscopic HP (OHP, 24 patients; LHP, 36 patients). Outcomes were measured in terms of functional recovery, morbidity, mortality, and length of hospital stay.
Results: HPs showed no differences among the groups in terms of operative time, blood loss, and length of intensive care unit stay. Overall morbidity was significantly lower in LHP than in OHP, corresponding to 33.3% and 66.7% respectively ( P = .018). The incidence of both surgical and medical complications was higher in OHP than in LHP (41.7% vs 22.2% [ P = .044] and 45.8% vs 24.3% [ P = .023], respectively). Mortality was 16.6% for each group. LHP showed a faster return to bowel movements and a shorter hospital stay than OHP. The secondary intestinal reversal was possible in 92% of cases, successfully completed laparoscopically in 91.3%. No patients of LHP group required a conversion to open intestinal reversal.
Conclusion: LHP for treatment of diverticular diffuse peritonitis showed significantly lower morbidity, faster recovery, shorter hospital stay, and higher rates of successful laparoscopic reversal when compared with OHP.
Keywords: acute abdomen; diverticular peritonitis; laparoscopic Hartmann’s procedure; laparoscopic reversal.