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Health-Related Quality of Life after Colonic Resection for Diverticular Disease: Long-term Results

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Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery

Abstract

Background and Aims

While colonic resection is standard practice in complicated colonic diverticular disease (DD), treatment of uncomplicated diverticulitis is, as yet, unclear. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term clinical outcome and quality of life in DD patients undergoing colonic resection compared to those receiving medical treatment only.

Patients and Methods

Seventy-one consecutive patients who were admitted to our surgical department with left iliac pain and endoscopical or radiological diagnosis of DD were enrolled in this trial. Disease severity was assessed with Hinchey scale. Twenty-five of the patients underwent colonic resection, while 46 were treated with medical therapy alone. After a median follow-up of 47 (3–102) months from the time of their first hospital admission, the patients responded to the questions of the Cleveland Global Quality of Life (CGQL) questionnaire and to a symptoms questionnaire during a telephone interview. Admittance and surgical procedures for DD were also investigated, and surgery- and symptoms-free survival rates were calculated. Nonparametric tests and survival analysis were used.

Results

The CGQL total scores and symptom frequency rate were found to be similar in the two groups (resection vs nonresection). Only current quality of health item was significantly worse in patients who had undergone colonic resection (p = 0.05). No difference was found in the rate and in the timing of surgical procedures and hospital admitting for DD in the two groups. In particular, the nine patients classified as Hinchey 1 who underwent surgery reported the same quality of life, symptoms frequency, operation, and hospital admitting rate as those who had been admitted with the same disease class but who received medical treatment only.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that there does not seem to be any long-term advantage to colonic resection which should be considered only in patients presenting complicated DD.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to Mrs Linda Moretti for her assistance in preparing the final version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Veneto Oncological Institute (IOV-IRCCS), Clinica Chirurgica I, Policlinico Universitario, via Giustiniani 2, 35128, Padova, Italy

    Marco Scarpa

  2. Clinica Chirurgica I, Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche e Gastroenterologiche, Policlinico Universitario, Università di Padova, via Giustiniani 2, 35128, Padua, Italy

    Duilio Pagano, Cesare Ruffolo, Anna Pozza, Lino Polese, Mauro Frego, Davide F. D’Amico & Imerio Angriman

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  1. Marco Scarpa
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  2. Duilio Pagano
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Correspondence to Marco Scarpa.

Additional information

Presented as a poster at the Digestive Disease Week, San Diego CA, USA May 19-24, 2008.

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Scarpa, M., Pagano, D., Ruffolo, C. et al. Health-Related Quality of Life after Colonic Resection for Diverticular Disease: Long-term Results. J Gastrointest Surg 13, 105–112 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-008-0667-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-008-0667-8

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