Right‐sided colonic diverticulitis. Short and long‐term surgical outcomes and 2‐year quality of life

Abstract

AbstractAimWe aimed to investigate the short and the long‐term outcomes and 2‐year Quality of Life (QoL) of patients with right‐sided colonic diverticulitis (RCD) surgically managed.MethodWe conducted an ambidirectional cohort study of patients with RCD undergoing surgery between 2012/2022. A colonoscopy was performed at 1‐year post surgery. The enrolled patients completed the EuroQoL (EQ‐5D‐3L) during a regular follow‐up visit at 12 and 24 months after surgery.ResultsThree hundred nineteen patients with RCD were selected: 223 (70%) patients were treated by non‐operative management (NOM) while 33 underwent surgery. Acute diverticulitis occurred in 30 patients: 9 (27.2%) were classified by CT as uncomplicated and 21 (63.6%) as complicated diverticulitis. Additionally, chronic diverticulitis occurred in 3 cases (9.2%). Specifically, 27 patients were classified by CT as 1a (81.8%) and 6 patients as 3 (18.2%). Right hemicolectomy was performed in 30 patients (90.8%), and ileo‐caecectomy in 3 (9.2%). Nine (27.27%) experienced postoperative complications: 7 (77.7%) were classified according to the Clavien‐Dindo as grade I‐II, and 2 (22.2%) as grade III. No disease recurrence or colorectal cancer (CRC) was detected on colonoscopy. Thirty (90.8%) patients completed the 24‐month follow‐up. A statistically significant difference between preoperative and 24‐month QoL index values (median 0.72; IQR = 0.57–0.8 vs. median 0.9; IQR = 0.82–1; p = 0.0003) was observed.ConclusionsThe study results demonstrate satisfactory surgical outcomes and a better QoL after surgery. No disease recurrence or CRC was observed at colonoscopy 1 year after surgery.