1
Acute Sigmoid
Diverticulitis and its
Complications
Jasmine Barrow, Harvard Medical School
Year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
April 2011
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
2
Agenda
What Acute Sigmoid Diverticulitis is
Role and Goals of Imaging
Why image?
Menu of Tests
Strength/weaknesses
Findings and Complications
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
3
Diverticulosis 1
Diverticulosis- presence of many
diverticula
Diverticulum- pouch or a pocket-like
opening in the bowel wall
Mucosa/submucosa/serosa
2/3 of 65 years and older
¼ of those will get
diverticulitis
accessmedicine.net
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
4
Diverticulosis 2
•Usually left sided-
descending colon and
sigmoid
•Can be anywhere
•Asian population right
sided predominence
•Diverticulum bleed
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Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
5
Diverticulitis
Location
Most diverticulitis- sigmoid
Inflammation or infection of the
diverticulum
Microperforations
Intraluminal pressure, inspissated stool
Edema
Wall thickening
Pericolic inflammation- inflamed fat
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
6
Diverticulitis: Complications
Anatomy
Pericolonic, intraperitoneal, retroperitoneal
Abscess
Fistula
Macroperforation
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
7
Clinical diagnosis vs. Imaging
Many patients present with typical clinical
picture
LLQ pain, fever, and leukocytosis-
Most common cause is acute sigmoid diverticulitis
Age, history of diverticulosis or diverticulitis
Many patients can then be managed
medically with antibiotics
Why image?
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
8
Goal of Imaging
Narrow differential diagonses to a
diagonsis
Management
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
9
Differential Diagonsis
Hammond, Nancy. Paul, Nikolaidis. Frank, Miller. Left lower-quadrant pain: guidelines from
the american college of radiology appropriateness criteria. American Family Physician.2010;
82(7):766-70.
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
10
Goal of Imaging
Narrow differential diagonses to a
diagonsis
Management
Extent of disease
Staging (CT)
Complications
15-30% will need surgery– imaging helps
decide
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
11
Menu of Tests
Computed Tomography With Contrast
Compression Ultrasonography (U/S)
Barium Enema (BE) radiography
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
12
CT with Contrast
Direct examination of lumen, wall, pericolonic,
intraperitoneal and retroperitoneal spaces
Ability to diagnose other conditions
Abitlity to stage extent of disease and presence of
complications
79-99% sensitivity
High specificity
Pitfall– perforated colon cancer can mimic
diverticulitis clinically and radiographically
f/u BE or colonoscopy
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
13
CT Staging- Hinchey’s Criteria
Stage 0- bowel wall thickening
Medical manganement
Stage 1- small pericolonic abscess
medical management
Stage 2- large abscess not extending beyond pelvis
Drain percutaneously/surgery
Stage 3- abscess beyond pelvis
surgery
Stage 4- free rupture of diverticulum into peritoneal
cavity- fecal peritonitis
surgery
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
14
Now Let’s
Look at a
Patient
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
15
Our Patient: Classic CT findings 1
53 yr old man with mild
LLQ abdominal pain for 2
days and low grade fever
Axial CT with contrast
Inflammed divertculum-
air pockets with
surrounding edema
Wall thickening
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
PACS, BIDMC
16
Our Patient: Classic CT findings 2
•Axial CT with contrast
•Fat stranding
•Pericolonic inflammation abutting/adherant
to bladder
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
PACS, BIDMC
17
Now Let’s Look at Complications of
Diverticulitis seen in Our Patient
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
18
Our Patient: Complications on CT 1
•Axial CT with contrast
•Pericolonic rim-enhancing gas and fluid collection
consistent with a diverticular abscess
•Air within
bladder
suggestive of
colovesical
fistula
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
PACS, BIDMC
19
More on Abscess Complication
Most common complication of diverticulitis
Presence, size, and location used to
determine staging
Plegmnon and/or abscess seen on 35% of
cases of diverticulitis imaged with CT
Can be drained percutaneously with CT
guidance or surgically
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
20
More on Fistula Complication
20% of surgically treated diverticulitis
Colovesical- most common (65%)
Male predominance
Uterus protects bladder
Colovaginal (25%)
Coloenteric (<10%)
Colouterine- rare
Colocutaneous- rare
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
21
Our Patient: Complications on CT 2
•Axial CT with contrast
•Contrast in bladder, further evidence of colovesical fistula
•Pericolonic inflammation
•Large inflammed diverticulum
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
PACS, BIDMC
22
Our Patient: Colovesical Fistula
•Axial CT with contrast
•Contrast in bladder, further evidence of colovesical
fistula
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
PACS, BIDMC
23
Our Patient: More history
Pneumaturia with dysuria, consistent with
colovesical fistula seen on CT
History of known diverticulosis
Third episode of diverticulitis week prior to
presentation
managed conservatively as an outpatient.
Was not imaged at that time
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
24
We will now examine other
complications using images of
companion patients
25
Companion Patient 1: Colocutaneous
Fistula
Stocchi, Luca. Current indications and role of surgery in the management
of sigmoid diverticulitis. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2010;16(7):
804-817.
•Axial CT with
contrast
•Fistula track from
colon through
subcutaneous
tissue to
cutaneous tissue
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
26
Companion Patient 2: Perforation
Axial CT with contrast
Pneumoperitoneum
(Extraluminal air )
http://brighamrad.harvard.edu/Cases/bwh/hcache/124/full.html
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
27
Other Imaging Modalities
Graded Compression Ultrasonography
Barium Enema
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
28
Graded Compression U/S
Women of childbearing age or pregnant
patients
Best for GYN differential
No radiation
Sensitivity- 77-98%
Specificity- 80-99%
Operator dependent
Direct physician involvement in examination
recommended
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
29
U/S Findings
Wall thickness (hypoechoic)
Pericolonic fat inflammation
(echogenic)
Identify abscess (hypoechoic)
Identify fistula (hypoechoic,
bubbles
•Echogenic material filling inflammed
diverticulum- air, fecal material,
enterolith
•Hypoechoic colonic wall thickening
•Echogenic pericolonic fat inflammation
www.radbazaar.com
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
30
Barium Enema
Former primary imaging modality
Differential limited
Only detects secondary affects of inflammation
on colon
Not sensitive to primary pericolonic inflammation
Not sensitive to complications
Sensitivity- 59-90%
More invasive
Can be follow up study if CT is equivocal
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
31
BE Findings
Fold thickening
Segmental spasm
Sinus tract
Fistula
Mass effect from
abscess or free air
•Segmental spasm
http://radiology.healthcommunities.com/diverticulitis/index.shtml
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
32
Summary
Acute inflammation and infection of
diverticulum
Microperforations leading to extraluminal
inflammation
Abscess, Fistula, Macroperforation
complications
CT with constrast imaging modality of
choice
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
33
References
American College of Radiology. Lower Left Quadrant Pain. ACR Appropriateness Criteria.
http://www.acr.org/SecondaryMainMenuCategories/quality_safety/app_criteria/pdf/ExpertPanelon
GastrointestinalImaging/LeftLowerQuadrantPainDoc8.aspx. Accessed 4/12/2011.
Destigter, Kristen. David, Keating. Imaging update: acute colonic diverticulitis. Clincal Colon
Rectal Surgery. 2009; 22(3):147-55
Hammond, Nancy. Paul, Nikolaidis. Frank, Miller. Left lower-quadrant pain: guidelines from the
american college of radiology appropriateness criteria. American Family Physician.2010;
82(7):766-70.
O’Malley, Martin. Stephanie, Wilson. Ultrasonography and computed tomography of appendicitis
and diverticulitis. Seminars in Roentgenology. 2001; 36(2);138-147.
Sarma, Deba. Walter, Longo. Diagnostic imaging for diverticulitis. Journal of Clinical
Gastroenterology. 2008; 42(10):1139-1141.
Stocchi, Luca. Current indications and role of surgery in the management of sigmoid diverticulitis.
World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2010;16(7): 804-817.
Young-Fadok, Tonia. John, Pemberton. Acute diverticulitis complicated by fistula formation.
Uptodate. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/acute-diverticulitis-complicated-by-fistula-
formation?source=search_result&selectedTitle=1%7E150. Accessed 4/14/2011.
Young-Fadok, Tonia. John, Pemberton. Clinical manifestation and diagnosis of colonic diverticular
disease. Uptodate. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/clinical-manifestations-and-diagnosis-of-
colonic-diverticular-disease?source=search_result&selectedTitle=2%7E15. Accessed 4/14/2011.
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
34
Acknowledgments
Dr. Gillian Lieberman
Dr. Tamuna Chadashvili
Jasmine Barrow, year III
Gillian Lieberman, MD
Acute Sigmoid Diverticulitis and its Complications
Agenda
Diverticulosis 1
Slide Number 4
Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis: Complications
Clinical diagnosis vs. Imaging
Goal of Imaging
Differential Diagonsis
Goal of Imaging
Menu of Tests
CT with Contrast
CT Staging- Hinchey’s Criteria
Slide Number 14
Our Patient: Classic CT findings 1
Our Patient: Classic CT findings 2
Slide Number 17
Our Patient: Complications on CT 1
More on Abscess Complication
More on Fistula Complication
Our Patient: Complications on CT 2
Our Patient: Colovesical Fistula
Our Patient: More history
We will now examine other�complications using images of�companion patients
Companion Patient 1: Colocutaneous Fistula
Companion Patient 2: Perforation
Other Imaging Modalities
Graded Compression U/S
U/S Findings
Barium Enema
BE Findings
Summary
References
Acknowledgments