“…In their paper clearly defining the pathology in acute diverticulitis, Hughes et alii (1963) have questioned this proposition. Threestage resection remains the most popular form of treatment for sigmoid diverticulitis with diffuse peritonitis, in spite of challenge from proponents of drainage alone (Hughesetalii, 1963;McLaren, 1957) and proponents of resection without anastomosis (Smiley, 1966;Staunton, 1962;Watkins and Oliver, 1966;Gravesetalii, 1973)and resection with primary anastomosis (Ryan, 1974;Madden, 1965). Eng et alii (1977) have collected 180casesfrom 13 series in the literature, and the collective mortalities were 32.7% for colostomy and drainage, 9.1% for resection without anastomosis, and 10% for resection with anastomosis.…”