What is the gold standard for diagnosing diverticulitis?

Abdominal computerized tomography (CT) scan is still the gold standard in diagnosing acute diverticulitis and its complications. CT-colonography may be useful as a predicting tool on the outcome of the disease.

What is the best way to diagnose diverticulitis?

Doctors often diagnose diverticulitis using a computed tomography (CT) scan of your abdomen and pelvis. It is best to perform the scan with intravenous (IV) contrast when possible. Many centers will also ask that you drink a form of oral contrast. Both contrast materials make the intestinal tract easier to see.

What can mimic sigmoid diverticulitis?

The conditions that may mimic acute epiploic appendagitis at computed tomography (CT) include acute omental infarction, mesenteric panniculitis, fat-containing tumor, and primary and secondary acute inflammatory processes in the large bowel (eg, diverticulitis and appendicitis).

Is sigmoid diverticulosis serious?

Are there complications from diverticulosis? Diverticulosis may lead to several complications including inflammation, infection, bleeding or intestinal blockage. Fortunately, diverticulosis does not lead to cancer.

Can you see diverticulitis with ultrasound?

Studies in the hands of expert bowel sonographers show ultrasound has a sensitivity and specificity of >80% for the diagnosis of diverticulitis.

Is ultrasound used for diverticulitis?

Although computed tomography (CT) imaging is considered the “gold standard” for the diagnosis of acute diverticulitis in the United States, ultrasound is routinely used in Europe, Asia, and Africa as the initial imaging modality of choice in the evaluation of patients with suspected diverticulitis.

Will an ultrasound show diverticulitis?

What is acute sigmoid diverticulitis?

Acute diverticulitis is inflammation of the colonic diverticulum, which may involve perforation or microperforation (Figures 1 and 2). In Western societies, most diverticula (85 percent) are found in the sigmoid and descending colons; diverticula in the ascending colon are more common in Asian populations.

What can be misdiagnosed as diverticulitis?

Common alternative conditions that can clinically mimic diverticulitis include small bowel obstruction, primary epiploic appendagitis, acute cholecystitis, appendicitis, ileitis, ovarian cystic disease, and ureteral stone disease.

What kind of pain is diverticulitis?

The most common symptom of diverticulitis is a sharp cramp-like pain, usually on the left side of your lower abdomen. Other symptoms can include fever and chills, nausea, vomiting, and constipation or diarrhea.