Diverticulitis Pathophysiology

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Pathophysiology Diverticulitis occurs when small sacs or pouches grow inside of the colon and become either infected or inflamed, these growths are called diverticula. Diverticula can occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, particularly at weak points in the colon wall, usually where arteries penetrate the muscular layer (Huether, 2017). The most common sites are the left sigmoid colon and the right colon. According to the law of Laplace, wall pressure increases as the diameter of a cylindrical structure decreases. Therefore, pressure within the narrow lumen can increase enough to rupture the diverticula, causing inflammation and diverticulitis. Bacteria and local ischemia also may be contributing factors (Huether, 2017) Signs and symptoms …show more content…
The liquid diet takes pressure of diverticula and give them a chance to heal reducing the inflammation, while the antibiotics help fight off any infection. In the early stages treatment can be done at home, in the moderate cases a hospital stay will be indicated ranging from couple days to a week or two. If the disease is caught early most people recover from it without any issues. In more severe cases, surgery is required depending on the location of the diverticulitis. Several complications can also arise, pus may build up in one of the sacs cause an abscess, poorly placed scar tissue can cause blockage. A fistula may form, and if a pouch ruptures peritonitis will occur and cause its own host of new problems. Once again antibiotics will be used in the treatment paired with rigorous IV therapy. Based on which complications you develop various techniques will be used. If an abscess has formed and it is detected properly a drainage tube will be inserted to alleviate the issue. What commonly happens in cases of diverticulitis is one of two types of surgery based on the distribution of the pouches and their condition. The ideal surgery will have a surgeon cut and
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