AIM: to evaluate diagnostic capabilities of computed tomography in identifying the destruction of the diverticulum wall in complicated diverticular disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: the prospective cohort study included 70 patients (38 female and 32 male median age - 57 ± 13), which underwent elective surgery for complicated diverticular disease. The following assessment criteria for CT were used: signs of diverticulum destruction, thickness of the bowel wall, length of inflammatory changes of colonic wall, length of pericolonic inflammation. The data of preoperative CT were compared with the morphology of removed bowel specimen. RESULTS: the sensitivity and specificity of CT were 96.8% and 97.4% in the detection of abscesses, 95% and 100% of colonic fistulas, and 100% and 97% pericolonic inflammation, respectively. Based on results of morphological studies of resected colon segment, two groups of patients were identified: with macroperforation (abscesses and fistulas) and microperforation (pericolic inflammatory mass). According to the ROC-analysis, colon wall thickness ≥ 0.7 cm, length of inflammatory changes of colonic wall ≥ 9.2 cm and the length of pericolonic inflammation ≥ 3.1 cm highly likely show microperforation. CONCLUSION: CT parameters of thickening of colon wall, length of inflammatory changes of colonic wall and the length of pericolonic inflammation seem to be significant for the possibility of predicting the presence of microperforation. New studies with a larger number of clinical cases are required.