Extent of sigmoid resection in diverticular disease of the colon

摘要

The question of the length of the resected segment when performing colectomy for diverticular disease of the colon is certainly not new. However, interest in this topic has recently been renewed and reviewed. The site of anastomosis, the length of the specimen, as well as the extent of mesenteric resection, have all been thought to be important determinants of the recurrence rate, the safety of the anastomosis, and satisfactory patient comfort. While the level of evidence for most of the recommendations provided by the authors' research of the literature is not high, a great deal of information, based on time-proven experience, is available.Although diverticula can exist in almost any portion of the digestive tract, most are found in the left colon, and in particular, in the sigmoid colon. The indications for resection have been dealt with elsewhere in this volume and will not be discussed here. For the remainder of this chapter, we will deal with resection of the sigmoid colon unless specified otherwise.Several studies have looked at the appropriate length of resection and the site of anastomosis in the specific setting of elective resection.