Risk factors including the presence of inflammation at the resection margins for colorectal anastomotic stenosis following surgery for diverticular disease

Aim The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors for anastomotic stenosis in patients operated on for diverticular disease. Histological inflammation and diverticula at the resection margins were also considered. Method Patients’ characteristics, the surgical technique and postoperative complications were collected from the medical records. Anastomotic stenoses were evaluated prospectively by rigid sigmoidoscopy during follow‐up examination. Histological specimens were examined by a single pathologist who investigated inflammation and diverticula at the resection margins. Twenty patients with anastomotic colorectal stenosis from a single tertiary centre were compared with 24 consecutive patients without stenosis. They were all operated on for diverticular disease over a specified time period. Results Histological inflammation and diverticula were found in 25% and 30% of the resection margins respectively. Univariate analysis showed that age > 71 years (P = 0.0002), female gender (P = 0.0069) and anastomoses located below 12 cm from the anal verge (P = 0.020) were risk factors for stenosis. No correlation was found between anastomotic stenosis and the presence of histological inflammation or diverticula at the resection margins. By multivariate analysis, only age > 71 years was found to be a statistically significant risk factor for stenosis (P = 0.0003, OR = 60.8, 95% CI: 6.4–575.5). Conclusion Anastomotic stenosis is a frequent, long‐term complication following surgery for diverticular disease. An analysis demonstrated that age is a risk factor for colorectal stenosis and that histological inflammation and the presence of diverticula near/at the resection margins have no effect on the incidence of stenosis.