A case of solitary rectal diverticulum presenting with a retrorectal mass

Colonic diverticula are common whereas but rectal diverticula are very rare, with only sporadic reports in the literature since 1911. Most patients with rectal diverticula are diagnosed incidentally, inflammatory processes may have developed at the time of the diagnosis. We report the case of a 42-year-old woman presenting with a retrorectal mass that was detected incidentally. She was suspected of having a rectal diverticulum by transrectal ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. However, the colonoscopic findings were unremarkable. A rectal diverticulum was confirmed intraoperatively, and a transanal diverticulectomy was performed.     

Inflammation of solitary caecal diverticula:a rare aetiology of acute abdominal pain [corrected

Caecal diverticula are rare, representing the 3.6% of colonic diverticula. They may have congenital origin and remain asymptomatic, presenting as an accidental finding. We present a case of a 42-year-old Caucasian woman, admitted with a 12-h history of sudden onset of sharp right iliac fossa pain, anorexia, and nausea. There was leukocytosis (23.49 × 10(3)/μl) and increased C-reactive protein (11.76 mg/dl). CT scan showed an inflamed appendix. At laparotomy, a diffuse caecal phlegmon with an inflammatory solitary caecal diverticula was found. A limited right hemicolectomy was performed. Histological examination confirmed the caecal diverticulitis without malignancy. Post-operative period was uneventful. Three months later, endoscopy showed no diverticula or other pathologies. Solitary caecal diverticulum is very rare, but surgeons must bear this in mind in case of pain in right iliac fossa.     

Morphology of myenteric plexuses in the human large intestine: comparison between large intestines with and without colonic diverticula

BACKGROUND: Large intestines with diverticula exhibit functionally abnormal peristaltic activity and elevated luminal pressure that may indicate functional changes in the myenteric plexus; however, no studies have investigated the characteristics of either normal or diverticula myenteric plexuses. METHODS: Tissue specimens obtained from 93 colorectal cancer patients without diverticula, 14 patients with perforated diverticulitis, and 12 colorectal cancer patients with asymptomatic diverticula were included in this study. Myenteric plexuses and ganglion cells were counted per centimeter, and the area and maximum diameter of the nuclei of ganglion cells were measured using an image analyzer. RESULTS: The number of myenteric plexuses and ganglion cells per centimeter was significantly higher in the descending colon, sigmoid colon, and rectum than in the cecum, ascending colon, and transverse colon. The area of the nuclei of ganglion cells was significantly larger in the descending colon and sigmoid colon than in the cecum and ascending colon. Compared with large intestines without diverticula, the number of myenteric plexuses was significantly higher in large intestines with diverticula, whereas the number of ganglion cells decreased in both right-sided and left-sided large intestines with perforated diverticulitis or asymptomatic diverticula. The area of the nuclei of ganglion cells was significantly smaller in large intestines with diverticula. CONCLUSION: The morphology of myenteric plexuses and the ganglion cells differs significantly among segments of the human large intestine. Large intestines with diverticula had significantly more plexuses but significantly fewer ganglion cells than large intestines without diverticula. The area of the nuclei of ganglion cells was also significantly smaller in large intestines with diverticula. Further studies are required to clarify how these changes are related to intestinal function and how they are involved in the etiology of diverticulosis.     

Inflammation of solitary caecal diverticula: a rare aetiology of acute abdominal pain: an experimental study

Caecal diverticula are rare, representing the 3.6% of colonic diverticula. They may have congenital origin and remain asymptomatic, presenting as an accidental finding. We present a case of a 42-year-old Caucasian woman, admitted with a 12-h history of sudden onset of sharp right iliac fossa pain, anorexia, and nausea. There was leukocytosis (23.49 × 10³/μl) and increased C-reactive protein (11.76 mg/dl). CT scan showed an inflamed appendix. At laparotomy, a diffuse caecal phlegmon with an inflammatory solitary caecal diverticula was found. A limited right hemicolectomy was performed. Histological examination confirmed the caecal diverticulitis without malignancy. Post-operative period was uneventful. Three months later, endoscopy showed no diverticula or other pathologies. Solitary caecal diverticulum is very rare, but surgeons must bear this in mind in case of pain in right iliac fossa.     

Diverticular disease of the colon in a far-eastern community

A 5-year retrospective case review and 6-month clinical observation, in a teaching and general hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, show that colonic diverticular disease is not so common as in the West and has many distinctive features. Solitary cecal diverticula are at least five times more common, accounting for about one-fourth of all diverticula of the large bowel, and show definite male preponderance and occur in younger patients. Their congenital origin is supported by the lack of association with social classes, by the finding of structural relationship with the appendix in one of the patients, and by the presence of the muscular coat. On the other hand, multiple colonic diverticulosis is essentially a disease of those above the age of 40 years and shows slight female preponderance. The diverticula appear segmental and need not originate in the sigmoid colon first. Almost all multiple diverticula show radiologic features of simple massed diverticulosis and seem to be associated with higher social classes. The differences in the pattern of diverticular disease in this series and in the West cannot be readily explained on the basis of the difference in dietary habit or psychologic stress.     

Solitary Perforated diverticulum of the ascending colon: Report of two cases

Diverticulosis of the ascending colon is rare. Perforation of a diverticulum is very uncommon and at times it is difficult to differentiate from carcinoma. Two unusual cases of perforated solitary diverticula of the ascending colon are reported, and liter-ature is briefly reviewed.     

Juxtapapillary duodenal diverticula and diverticula of the colon: is there a general "gastrointestinal diverticular disease"?

Both juxtapapillary duodenal diverticula and colon diverticula are acquired lesions, the pathogenesis of which is believed to involve the influence of high intraluminal pressure on loci minoris resistentiae in the gastrointestinal wall. We wanted to investigate whether juxtapapillary duodenal diverticula and colon diverticula occur independently, or whether they are part of a hypothetical general "gastrointestinal diverticular disease". 239 patients with juxtapapillary duodenal diverticula were identified in 2231 patients undergoing ERCP. Complete radiology data were available in 119/239 patients. Double contrast barium enema had been performed in 28/119 patients. In these patients, colon diverticula were present in 9/20 women and 1/8 men. The frequency of colon diverticula in these patients was compared with randomly chosen age- and sex-matched controls, for whom barium enema results were available. In these controls, 9/20 women and 1/8 men also had colon diverticula (n.s.). We conclude that after stratification for age and sex, the occurrence of colon diverticula is not higher in patients with juxtapapillary duodenal diverticula than in the general population. Juxtapapillary duodenal diverticula and colon diverticula thus occur independently. These data are not in favor of the existence of a general gastrointestinal diverticular disease.     

Endoscopic management of a rare granulation polyp in a colonic diverticulum

There are many case reports on colon diverticula that cause irritable bowel syndrome,constipation,bleeding,diverticulitis,stricture due to multiple recurrences of diverticulitis,and perforation.However,few articles have examined neoplasms that arise from a diverticulum,such as adenoma and adenocarcinoma,and there have been no reports of granulation polyps that arise from a colon diverticulum after recurrent diverticulitis.We observed a rare granulation polyp that arose from a diverticulum as a result of repeated episodes of local diverticulitis.Narrow band imaging magnified colonoscopy was very useful to diagnose the polyp as a granulation polyp because of the absence of a pit pattern on the surface of the polyp.We successfully resected the polyp using endoscopic mucosal resection.We inverted the diverticulum,and the resected stalk of the polyp was used to close the diverticulum with an over-thescope clip.If a granulomatous polyp could arise from a diverticulum,differential diagnosis between a colon neoplasm and a granulomatous polyp would not only be difficult but also necessary for suitable endoscopic treatment.     

Perforated diverticulitis of the transverse colon

A case of localized, perforated diverticulitis of the transverse colon in a 45-year-old woman is presented. Preoperatively, this rare disease is indistinguishable from other acute surgical conditions, and often is mistaken for carcinoma at laparotomy. This report increases awareness of this unusual condition, and emphasizes the clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic implications. Case reports described in the literature are reviewed.     

结肠镜诊断结肠憩室病

１９７８年１０月～１９９３年１０月１５年间，经结肠镜检出结肠憩室病２９例，检出率０．３１％。结果显示结肠憩室病为我国少见病，其检出率随年龄增加而增高，国人结肠憩室好发于右半结肠，全结肠镜检可提高结肠憩室诊断率，是本病的可靠诊断手段。     

Asymptomatic multiple duodenal diverticulosis. A rare case report

The authors report the case of a patient with an unusually high number of diverticular formations (at least five), distributed along the entire duodenal tract. Following a review of the literature on this subject, the authors focus on the lack of symptoms manifested by duodenal diverticula, even if they are numerous and large in size, and on the extremely rare reports of multiple diverticula, as in this case.     

Movement of segmental constrictions in the human colon

Changes in the segmental pattern of opaque contents in the transverse colon among patients with diverticulosis were observed by means of time-lapse cinefluorography after ingestion of barium sulphate suspension.In some of them the muscular constrictions separating the opaque masses of bowel contents were seen to relax and later to re-form in a different spatial relationship to fixed points on the bowel wall represented by the necks of diverticula. In other instances ring contractions moved progressively along the bowel wall, temporarily occluding the necks of any diverticula they passed. Bowel contents were seen to be transported ahead of the advancing constrictions at varying rates and in either direction.     

Recent trends in diverticulosis of the right colon in Japan

PURPOSE: Diverticulosis of the right colon has been increasing in the Far East; however, a considerable proportion of these patients includes cases of solitary right-sided diverticular disease. This study aimed to determine whether the incidence of such solitary diverticula (defined as 1 or 2 diverticula in this study) and multiple (3 or more) diverticula of the right colon is increasing in Japan. METHODS: A total of 13,947 consecutive barium enema examinations, performed in the period from 1982 to 1997, were reviewed. Changes in the frequency (detection rate) and number of diverticula across time and with aging of three types of diverticula, right-sided, left-sided, and bilateral, were investigated, with special interest in those patients with one or two diverticula of the right colon. RESULTS: Right-sided and bilateral diverticula have increased in frequency across time; however, left-sided diverticula have not. Patients with one or two diverticula in the right colon of right-sided disease, unexpectedly, have increased across time in both genders, and patients with three or more diverticula in the right colon of right-sided disease have shown an increase in males. The number of diverticula of the right colon showed no increase across time or with aging. CONCLUSIONS: Diverticulosis of the right colon, both solitary and multiple, has been increasing steadily in Japan; therefore, diverticulitis and bleeding diverticula of the right colon may continue to increase. Diverticula of the right colon might be an acquired disease and self-limiting in development, because the frequency did not increase substantially in the elderly and because the number changed little across time and with aging.     

Diverticular colitis with progression to ulcerative colitis after sigmoidectomy

Diverticular colitis is chronic inflammation of the colon where diverticula are present. The endoscopic and histopathological findings of this disease are sometimes similar to those of ulcerative colitis, and several reports describe cases of diverticular colitis that progressed to typical ulcerative colitis. A 77-year-old woman with intramesenteric penetration of the sigmoid diverticulum underwent low anterior resection. One month later, the patient experienced anastomotic leakage, and transverse colostomy was performed. Six months after the colostomy, the patient returned to the hospital with complaints of bloody discharge from the rectum and stoma. Colonoscopy revealed newly developed loss of vascular pattern and a granular appearance of the mucosa in the rectum that had not been present at prior examinations. She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, which developed after colectomy, and treated with mesalazine and high-dose prednisolone, but the clinical and endoscopic response was poor. Finally, the patient underwent total proctocolectomy and ileal pouch anal anastomosis with diverting ileostomy. As a few reports have described, diverticular colitis can progress to typical ulcerative colitis after surgery in some cases, suggesting a possible pathogenic similarity between the two diseases and association between colorectal surgery and disease progression.     

Right Colon, Sigmoid Colon, and Transverse Colon Diverticulitis in the Same Patient: Report of a Case

Although sigmoid colon diverticulitis is frequently seen, right colon and transverse colon diverticulitis remain rare forms of the disease. This case report examined the disease course of a 46-year-old female who first presented to our institution in 1990 with perforated right-sided diverticulitis. During the next 11 years, she developed sigmoid colon diverticulitis and then transverse colon diverticulitis. The right and sigmoid colon diverticulitis were treated with surgery and the transverse colon diverticulitis was managed conservatively. This is the first reported case of a single patient who had separate episodes of diverticulitis in the right, transverse, and sigmoid colon. The evaluation and management of this patient has mirrored a trend in the literature and clinical practice.Reprints are not available.     

Solitary colonic neurofibroma in a patient with transient segmental colitis： Case report

Neurofibromas of the large bowel are very rare and usually are part of the colonic involvement in neurofibromatosis type 1 (Nfl, von Recklinghausen's disease). Solitary neurofibromas of the colon are extremely rare. We describe a case of an isolated neurofibroma that was found in the large bowel of a patient who suffered from segmental colitis and presented with bloody diarrhea. A review of the literature is also included, concerning the disclosure of isolated neurofibromas in the gut and other body parts and the type of gastrointestinal involvement in von Recklinghausen's disease.     

Isolated rectal diverticulum complicating with rectal prolapse and outlet obstruction： Case report

The occurrence of rectal diverticula is very rare, with only sporadic reports in the literature since 1911. Symptomatic rectal diverticula are encountered even less frequently. Treatments of these complicated events range from conservative treatments to major surgical interventions. We present a hitherto unreported occurrence of isolated rectal diverticulum complicated with rectal prolapse and outlet obstruction. Delorme's procedure resulted in subsidence of symptoms and resolution of the diverticulum. It provides a minimal invasive surgical technique to successfully address the reported malady.     

Mechanical bowel obstruction due to colonic hemangioma: report of a case.

Colon hemangiomas are rare benign vascular lesions which are usually seen in teenagers. The frequent presentation is repetitive painless rectal bleeding. Colonic hemangiomas are occasionally found in the rectosigmoid area. A 62-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital with the complaints of mechanical bowel obstruction. The radiological imaging techniques revealed a transverse colon tumor. Consequently, the patient was operated, and transverse colectomy and end-to-end anastomosis were performed. No postoperative complications occurred. The pathologic examination revealed cavernous hemangioma of the transverse colon. This report describes a very rare case of bowel obstruction due to colonic hemangioma.     

Gastrocolic fistulae of neoplastic origin

Three cases of gastrocolic fistula secondary to cancer of stomach or transverse colon are presented. The incidence of this complication is very rare, and in the last years (20-30 years ago) the anastomotic peptic ulcer due to gastrojejunostomy has been the most common cause. Recent reports indicate that gastric or transverse colonic carcinoma are the most frequent causes. The predominant symptoms are epigastric pain, loss of weight, diarrhea, and feculent vomiting. The diagnosis is based on clinical, radiological and endoscopic findings. The treatment is based on nutritional support with parenteral and or enteral hyper alimentation and resective surgery, if possible.     

Perforation of rectal diverticulum with amyloidosis secondary to rheumatoid arthritis: case report and review of the literature

We report a case of perforation of a rectal diverticulum with amyloidosis secondary to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and review the clinicopathologic features in 21 Japanese amyloidosis patients with colorectal perforation. A 62-year-old woman with amyloidosis secondary to RA suddenly complained of abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) showed ascites and free air in the abdominal cavity, and many diverticula with calculi in the sigmoid colon. Emergent surgery was performed for acute peritonitis. We observed the perforation, 5 mm in diameter, of a diverticulum in the upper rectum, and many diverticula located in the upper rectum and sigmoid colon. Anterior resection of the rectum combined with sigmoidectomy was performed. The resected specimen showed many diverticula including fecaliths, approximately 7 mm in size. Histopathologically, many inflammatory cells had infiltrated around the perforation. On Congo red staining, amyloid deposits were observed in or around the small blood vessels of the lamina propria mucosa and submucosa of the rectum. Although colorectal perforation with amyloidosis secondary to RA is rare, this complication was associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, in patients with amyloidosis, we should be careful regarding the management of colorectal diverticula.