Does Diverticulitis Require Surgery?

If you count yourself among the millions of Americans who have diverticular disease — 30% of adults ages 50-59 and 70% of those over 80 have diverticulosis — and you want to know what the road ahead might look like, you’ve come to the right place. 

Our team of general surgeons at Rockwall Surgical Specialists are experts when it comes to colon surgeries, including those that remedy diverticular disease. While we focus on surgical solutions, we want to kick off this discussion with one important fact — not everyone who has diverticular disease requires surgery, but plenty do and we address why that is here.

Understanding diverticular disease

Diverticular disease starts out as diverticulosis, a condition in which small pouches develop in your colon, creating weak bulges inside your large intestine. These pouches typically occur in the lower portion of your colon — your sigmoid colon — and they can lead to inflammation and abdominal discomfort when matter gets stuck inside them.

When this occurs, your diverticulosis becomes diverticulitis — when you see “itis” attached to a word, it’s referring to problematic inflammation. Diverticulitis can come on suddenly and can be quite painful.

The good news is that less than 5% of people with diverticulosis develop diverticulitis. 

When colon surgery makes sense for diverticular disease

If your diverticular disease has turned the corner into diverticulitis, it still doesn’t mean that surgery is inevitable. In many cases, the acute problem can be resolved with antibiotics that work to prevent infection and abscesses in the pouches.

That said, this type of colon surgery is among the most common surgeries in the United States, so a good number of people do end up turning to surgery to put an end to this painful and disruptive condition.

Typically, we recommend colon surgery for diverticular disease when:

• Antibiotics don’t resolve the inflammation and there’s threat of serious infection
• Your diverticular disease becomes chronic

Unfortunately, 20% of people who’ve had a bout of diverticulitis go on to have another. And each time you develop diverticulitis is an indication that the problem isn’t going away and surgery might be the best path forward.

What happens during surgery for diverticular disease

Here’s what we accomplish when we tackle diverticular disease surgically. Put simply, our goal is to remove the diseased portion of your colon and reconnect the healthy sections so you maintain function.

We use highly advanced and minimally invasive surgical techniques, including laparoscopy, whenever possible so your journey is less risky and much shorter.

Trust the surgery specialists

You and your doctor can determine whether your diverticular disease would benefit from surgery. To consult with one of our team members, please contact us at one of our locations in Rockwall, Rowlett, Greenville, Terrell, or Forney, Texas, to schedule an appointment.