Intestinal Pathology Quiz

See Diverticular Disease. Option B is correct. Diverticula are small sac-like outpouchings (pockets) of the lining of the bowel that push through the muscular wall. They occur most often in the sigmoid colon, the S-shaped part of the large bowel that sits in the left lower abdomen and leads into the rectum. Diverticulosis means that diverticula are present, and it is often found by chance and causes no symptoms. Diverticular disease means that the diverticula cause symptoms, and diverticulitis means that they have become inflamed, which causes pain and fever. Bowel contents moving along the colon raise the pressure inside the lumen, and the lining is pushed out at the weak points in the wall, such as the places where blood vessels pass through it. Diverticula are linked to a low-fibre diet, which makes hard stools and higher pressures. Most people with symptoms feel them in the left lower abdomen, where the sigmoid colon lies. A short way to remember the pattern is that diverticula in the West mean the left-sided sigmoid colon.

• Site: diverticula occur most often in the sigmoid colon.
• Terms: diverticulosis means diverticula are present, diverticular disease means they cause symptoms and diverticulitis means they are inflamed.
• Cause: a low-fibre diet makes hard stools and raises pressure in the bowel.
• Pain: usually felt in the left lower abdomen.