Diverticulitis

Increasingly common because of stress, sedentary lifestyle and poor diet that characterize the modern, western lifestyle, diverticulitis is a benign bowel condition that affects people of all ages.

As a condition, diverticulitis has a variety of symptoms with different degrees of severity and risk and is effectively treated with surgery when conservative treatment fails or when it is complicated.

The most modern surgical approach is robotic surgery, in which Dr. Konstantinidis and his Surgical Team have extensive experience, having performed many robotic operations to remove part of the diseased intestine in patients with diverticulitis, with great success.

What are the diverticula?

Diverticula are small cavities that look like sacs or pouches that form on the wall of the colon.

Their creation is attributed to the development of high pressures in the large intestine, especially because of the passage of feces or contractions of the intestine.

When many diverticula form in the large intestine, then we refer to diverticulosis.

What is diverticulitis?

Diverticulitis is the inflammation of the diverticula and it occurs as a complication in a small percentage of patients who have diverticula in their large intestine.

Who is at risk of developing diverticulitis?

Diverticulitis is causally linked to chronic constipation and therefore to all the causes of the latter, such as poor diet low in fiber and rich in red meat and fats.

Smoking and regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may promote the development of diverticulitis.

What are the symptoms of diverticulitis?

Diverticulitis is characterized by several symptoms with different levels of severity, such as:

• pain in the center or left side of the lower abdomen
• chills
• fever
• vomiting
• constipation
• bleeding

What are the complications of diverticulitis?

Acute diverticulitis should be treated immediately. Otherwise, the diverticula may rupture and at that point the bowel may be perforated. This can result to abscesses or, in more severe cases, even generalized peritonitis.

In patients with successive diverticulitis attacks, fistulas, or channels of communication between the bowel and nearby organs, such as the bladder and the vagina (in women) are more likely to develop.

How is diverticular disease diagnosed?

Colonoscopy detects the presence of diverticula, which is why many people discover them by chance, without any symptoms, during their regular check-ups.

In case of acute diverticulitis attack, with obvious symptoms, the examination of choice is the CT scan.

How is diverticulitis treated?

In milder forms, diverticulitis can be treated conservatively with appropriate medication (antibiotics, analgesics) and a change in diet.

Acute diverticulitis, which is accompanied by dangerous complications such as bowel perforation, peritonitis, abscess or fistula, is treated surgically by removing the diseased part of the intestine.

Surgery is also the definitive treatment of the disease, as acute diverticulitis often has recurrences that expose the patient to further discomfort and risk of serious complications.

That is why it is often chosen for precautionary reasons.

Surgical removal of the part of the intestine affected by diverticulitis can be performed with open surgery, laparoscopically or robotically.

Robotic surgery for diverticulitis is the evolution of the laparoscopic method. It is a minimally invasive approach and the most modern technique to remove part of the intestine that suffers from diverticulitis.

Robotic sigmoidectomy is the most advanced approach.

What is robotic surgery for diverticulitis?

Robotic surgery for diverticulitis is the evolution of the same laparoscopic method. It is a minimally invasive approach and the most modern technique to remove part of the intestine that suffers from diverticulitis.

Unlike open surgery, which involves a large incision, the robotic method is performed through small holes that are drilled in the patient’s abdomen.

The surgeon sits on a special console, without getting tired, from which he controls the special robotic arms that perform the operation.

The arms have proverbial precision, flexibility and stability in their movements, while at the same time they have access to even the most inaccessible parts of the abdomen.

This is helped by the three-dimensional display of the surgical field and in large digital magnification with high resolution that the surgeon has on the console screen, as if it is inside the patient’s body.

In this way, the risk of injury to healthy tissues and organs during the operation is minimized, contributing to the faster healing and recovery of the patient.

What are the advantages of robotic surgery of Diverticulitis?

Robotic surgery of diverticulitis is accompanied by significant advantages over open surgery, such as:

• minimal blood loss
• minimization of complications from surgery
• reduced postoperative pain
• limited hospitalization time
• fast recovery and immediate return to daily habits
• optimal cosmetic result, as a large incision is avoided

Why Dr. Konstantinidis?

Dr. Konstantinidis and his Surgery Team have extensive clinical experience in treating the full range of surgical bowel conditions, such as diverticulitis.

Dr. Konstantinidis and his Surgical Team apply the most modern and minimally invasive techniques for the surgical repair of diverticulitis, with great success and postoperative course.