Published online Mar 16, 2021. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v13.i3.82
Peer-review started: December 3, 2020
First decision: December 31, 2020
Revised: December 31, 2020
Accepted: February 12, 2021
Article in press: February 12, 2021
Published online: March 16, 2021
Processing time: 95 Days and 21 Hours
The number of colonoscopy performed worldwide is increasing steadily over the past decade for screening, diagnostics and surveillance purposes. Similarly, the incidence of diverticular disease is also increasing in the population.
The entity of post-colonoscopy diverticulitis as a complication of colonoscopy has been reported in the literature without clear description of definition, description, clinical presentation and management strategies.
The aim of this study was to systematically review all available evidence in the literature to propose a definition of post-colonoscopy diverticulitis, describe its incidence, clinical presentation, risk factors and management strategies.
The systematic review was performed by searching the PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases up to June 2020 and the references were manually cross-checked for additional references.
A total of nine studies were included in the final systematic review with a total of 339 cases. The time to diagnosis post-colonoscopy ranged from 2 h to 30 d. Clinical presentation for these patients were non-specific. Diagnosis was made mainly by computed tomography scan. Most of the patients were managed non-operatively with bowel rest and intravenous antibiotics.
The entity of post-colonoscopy diverticulitis remains debatable due to the variable timeframe included following colonoscopy in the literature. Regardless of whether this is a true complication post-colonoscopy or a de novo event, early diagnosis is vital to guide appropriate treatment.
The results of this systematic review should inform future prospective studies especially registries to record this as a potential complication following colonoscopy to further understand its true incidence and risk factors.