Problems in the Diagnosis of Diverticulitis in the Young

Five cases of sigmoid diverticulitis in young patients are reported. The difficulty in obtaining preoperative diagnosis in these cases was due primarily to the fact that the diagnosis was not suspected because of their young age. Although diverticula were seen on barium enema in all cases, the “classical radiological pictures of diverticulitis” were not seen in three of the five cases, presumably because of a short duration of the illness. Diverticular disease of the colon in young patients appears to require more aggressive surgical approach in view of the fact that the disease is characterized by recurrent inflammations. These patients are presently followed up carefully with particular reference to recurrence of the disease in the rest of the bowel as they progress into “older age groups”. There being no definite measures at present which are known to protect against the development of diverticulitis in the unaffected population, the question naturally arises, “will this group be even more susceptible?”.