Differences in Clinical Characteristics between Right- and Left-Sided Colonic Diverticular Hemorrhage

Abstract

Background: The number of patients with diverticular diseases has recently increased in Japan. Hemorrhage is a common manifestation of colonic diverticulosis, and the most frequent cause of lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Right- (RSD) and left- (LSD) sided diverticula are more predominant in Asian and in non-Asian populations, respectively. This retrospective study investigates differences in the clinical courses of hemorrhages arising from RSD and LSD. Methods: The clinical characteristics of 109 consecutive patients with colonic diverticular hemorrhage (from RSD, n=75; from LSD, n=34) selected from those admitted to Teikyo University Hospital (Tokyo, Japan) between January 2004 and August 2012 were compared. Results: Mean age was slightly lower and males were more predominant in the RSD than in the LSD group. All other background data were similar. Four and two patients in the RSD group required surgical resection and hemostasis using angiography, respectively, whereas none of the patients in the LSD group needed such invasive treatment. Endoscopic hemostasis was achieved in 21 (28%) of 75 and in 5 (14.7%) of 34 patients in the RSD and LSD groups, respectively, although the difference was not significant. The recurrence rates were essentially identical (RSD, 17.3%; LSD, 17.6%). Conclusion: Patients with hemorrhage from RSD tended to be more male-dominant than those from LSD. Serious bleeding is more likely to arise in patients with RSD, and endoscopic hemostasis is one choice of treatment when bleeding is suspected.