Should patients with uncomplicated diverticulitis be prescribed antibiotics? What is the role of colonoscopy after recovery? Is Hartmann’s procedure (HP) the best we can do? Laparoscopic lavage, anyone?
At the 2020 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons, held remotely, surgeons discussed facets of diverticulitis management that remain controversial or problematic.
As the understanding of diverticulitis has evolved, so have recommendations for treatment. “More patients are being treated in outpatient settings, and we’ve seen a concomitant move from open surgeries to laparoscopic and elective procedures,” said Michael Arvanitis, MD, the section chief of colon and rectal surgery at Monmouth Medical Center, in Long Branch, N.J.