Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Aug;17(3):155-62.
doi: 10.1055/s-2004-832696.

Imaging of colonic diverticular disease

Michael Jesse Snyder  1
Affiliations

Imaging of colonic diverticular disease

Michael Jesse Snyder. Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2004 Aug.

Abstract

Diverticular disease affects approximately two thirds of the population over the age of 70. While only a small fraction of these patients will develop diverticulitis, adequate radiological evaluation of diverticulitis and its complications is imperative in determining proper medical and surgical treatment. Clinical examination and laboratory tests alone have been found to be inaccurate in defining many aspects of the disease in up to 60% of cases. Over the past 30 years, contrast enema, computed tomography, and ultrasound have all been used extensively to diagnose the complications of diverticular disease. More recently, magnetic resonance imaging has been studied in patients with complicated diverticulitis. This article reviews the use of these different radiological modalities in diagnosing acute colonic diverticulitis and its complications.

Keywords: CT scan; MRI; Radiology; diverticular disease; diverticulitis; ultrasound.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Parks T G. Natural history of diverticular disease of the colon. Clin Gastroenterol. 1975;4:53–69. - PubMed
    1. Labs J D, Sarr M G, Fishman E K, Siegelman S S, Cameron J L. Complications of acute diverticulitis of the colon: improved early diagnosis with computerized tomography. Am J Surg. 1988;155:331–336. - PubMed
    1. Freeman S R, McNally P R. Diverticulitis. Med Clin North Am. 1993;77:1149–1167. - PubMed
    1. Heverhagen J T, Zielke A, Ishaque N, Bohrer T, El-Sheik M, Klose K J. Acute colonic diverticulitis: visualization in magnetic resonance imaging. Magn Reson Imaging. 2001;19:1275–1277. - PubMed
    1. Hayward M W, Hayward C, Ennis W P, et al. A pilot evaluation of radiography of the acute abdomen. Clin Radiol. 1984;35:289–291. - PubMed