Surgical Treatment of Acute Recurrent Diverticulitis: Early Elective or Late Elective Surgery. An Analysis of 237 Patients

Background The optimal timing of elective surgery in diverticulitis remains unclear. We attempted to investigate early elective versus late elective laparoscopic surgery in acute recurrent diverticulitis in a retrospective study. Method Data of patients undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery for diverticulitis were retrospectively gathered, including Hinchey stages I–II a/b. the primary endpoint was in-hospital complications according to the Clavien–Dindo classification. Secondary endpoints were surgical complications, operative time, conversion rate, and length of hospital stay. Results Of 237 patients, 81 (34%) underwent early elective operation (group A) and 156 (66%) underwent late elective operation (group B). In-hospital complications developed in 32% in group A and in 34% in group B (risk difference 2%, 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI): −11%, 14%). Higher age ( p = 0.048) and borderline higher American Society of Anesthesiologists score ( p = 0.056) were risk factors for in-hospital complications. Severe surgical complications occurred in 9% of patients in group A and 10% in group B (risk difference 2%, 95% CI: −6%, 9%). Conversion rate was 9% in group A and 3% in group B ( p = 0.070). Severity of disease did not seem to have an impact on complications or length of hospital stay. The median postoperative hospital stay was 8 days in both groups (interquartile range 6–10). Mean operative time was 220 min (SD 64) in group A and 202 min (SD 48) in group B. Conclusions This is the first study comparing early versus late elective surgery for diverticulitis in terms of the postoperative outcome using a validated classification. Although the retrospective setting and large confidence intervals don’t allow definitive recommendations, these results are of utmost importance for the design of future prospective, randomized controlled trials.