Recurrence of diverticulitis after prophylactic sigmoidectomy: an underestimated problem?

Abstract

Although prophylactic sigmoidectomy (PS) was associated with significant improvement in short-and long-term quality of life compared with conservative treatment in two recent randomized controlled trials [1, 2], the indications for PS for diverticulitis have been debated for years, and to date there is no real consensus. Indeed, for many surgeons, PS is today proposed in patients presenting with at least one complicated episode of diverticulitis. Some surgeons consider that there is almost no place for PS due to the supposed very low risk of recurrence after one episode of acute diverticulitis, complicated or not. For example, the updated French guidelines for the management of diverticulitis recommend PS to prevent recurrence after uncomplicated diverticulitis in patients with risk factors for