[Diverticulosis of the colon: complications of surgical interest].

Diverticular disease is prevalently only of medical interest. Repeated episodes of diverticulitis, particularly in younger patients, and serious complications such as perforation, stenosis, fistula and haemorrhage demand surgical treatment. The timing and type of surgical operation are conditioned by the pathological picture and by the patient's general condition and age. The authors present a series of 586 patients admitted for diverticular disease, 84 of whom presented complicated diverticulosis. Nineteen cases (22.6%) underwent elective surgery in the form of an anterior rectal resection, while 65 of them underwent urgent surgery for complicated diverticulosis variously consisting in total colectomy, a Hartman's resection, a simple rectal resection or a left or right hemicolectomy.