Acquired Diverticulosis of the Entire Colon in a Cadaver

Abstract

Diverticulosis involving the entire colon is rare in Western society. During a routine dissection of a 74-year-old Caucasian female cadaver, who died from vascular disease complications, diverticula were observed in the ascending, transverse, and descending colon. A total of 413 diverticula were manually counted. The majority of diverticula arose from the right and transverse colon, which is atypical of the disease in Western society. Histological examination of sections from sample diverticula reveals morphology consistent with pseudodiverticula, suggestive of acquired disease. Pancolonic diverticulosis may be associated with systemic diseases such as collagen disorders, vascular complications, and increased risk of recurrent diverticulitis. This case is an example of a rare manifestation of diverticular disease that is important for clinicians to recognize when evaluating and treating patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.

Keywords: cadaver case report; colonic diverticulum; diverticula; diverticula number; diverticula of colon; diverticular disease; diverticulitis; diverticulum; large bowel diverticula; pancolonic diverticulosis.