New York—Less than 30 years ago, it was pretty obvious which diverticulitis patients should undergo elective colectomy to prevent complications or death from recurrent attacks, but today the distinction is less clear; fewer patients have recurrences, and surgical management has become more controversial.
In the early 1990s, both the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery recommended surgery after two attacks or