Giant colonic diverticulum: case report of a rare surgical condition

Abstract

Introduction Diverticular disease is a common disorder of the colon with an extremely rare presentation: giant colonic diverticulum (GCD). GCD is defined as a diverticulum measuring 4 cm or larger and affects the sigmoid colon in 90% of the cases. Patients We report on a case of a 74-year-old woman with a GCD. Methods We present a case report of a 74-year-old woman with a GCD. A brief review of the literature concerning clinical presentation, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, pathogenesis, histological classification and treatment of GCD will be discussed. Results Our patient was treated according to the available information in the literature. The outcome was uneventful. Conclusions GCD is a rare presentation of diverticular disease. Because of the risk of serious complications, a correct diagnosis and treatment is essential. The investigations of choice include a plain abdominal X-ray and an abdominal CT scan. Surgical treatment is the treatment of choice with preferably a colectomy with en-bloc resection of the diverticulum.