Transverse Taeniamyotomy in Localized Acute Diverticulitis

Transverse taeniamyotomy has been in use for over four years in the surgical correction of the muscle abnormality of diverticular disease. Essentially, the technic is to carefully transversely incise the two antimesenteric taeniae coli at 2 cm. intervals, in a stepwise manner, from the rectosigmoid junction proximally up to normal colon. This causes the cut ends of the taeniae coli to pull apart into separate 2 cm. blocks of longitudinal muscle. Thus elongation and widening of the colon occurs, resulting in dilatation of the necks and free drainage of the diverticula obstructed by inflammation. Four patients are presented with localized diverticulitis who had simple transverse taeniamyotomy from which they quickly recovered. This operation justifies continuing study as it may increase the surgeon's range of response over one end of the spectrum of acute diverticulitis.