gastrointestinal disorders
Colonic Diverticulosis
Introduction
Colonic diverticulosis is the presence of one or more diverticula in the colon. Most diverticula are asymptomatic, but some become inflamed or bleed. Diagnosis is by colonoscopy, capsule endoscopy, barium enema, CT, or MRI. Asymptomatic diverticulosis requires no treatment. When symptoms develop, treatment varies depending on clinical manifestations. A colonic diverticulum is a saclike pouch of colonic mucosa and submucosa that protrudes through the muscular layer of the colon; because it does not contain all layers of the bowel, it is considered a pseudodiverticulum (see also Definition of Diverticular Disease ). Although diverticula can occur anywhere in the large bowel, they usually occur in the sigmoid portion of the colon. They rarely occur below the peritoneal reflection and involve the rectum. Diverticula vary in diameter but typically are 3 to 10 mm in size. Giant diverticula, which are extremely rare, are defined as diverticula > 4 cm in diameter; sizes up to 25 cm have been reported. People who have colonic diverticulosis usually have several diverticula. Diverticula, Diverticulosis, and Diverticulitis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL9_WKuNfu0) by Osmosis (https://open.osmosis.org/) is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Diverticulosis becomes more common with increasing age; it is present in about 75% of people > 80 years. 