Treatments for diverticular disease include antibiotics, stool softeners, IV fluids, and radiologic abscess drainage. Dietary therapy, such as eating a high-fiber diet, is sometimes the only treatment necessary. Surgery is required only when complications recur or when people have severe attacks with little response to medication.¹⁴

Mild diverticulitis is often treated on an outpatient basis with a liquid diet and oral antibiotics. Patients are typically reevaluated every two or three days for a week. Severe or complicated diverticulitis is treated in the hospital. IV fluids, antibiotics, and a liquid diet are the recommended treatments. A CT scan of the colon is recommended. If an abscess is detected, it may need to be drained. This procedure is performed by an interventional radiologist, a doctor who uses a scanning device to guide the instrument used to drain the abscess. If the abscess is large or ruptured, or there are multiple abscesses, surgery may be recommended.

See a diagram of minimally invasive surgery and open surgery for diverticular disease.

Watch an animation of what happens during minimally invasive surgery and open surgery for diverticular disease.

About 20% to 30% of people hospitalized for the first time with diverticulitis undergo surgery for it. During surgery, a part of the diseased colon is removed, usually the sigmoid colon, along with a small length of normal colon on either side of the diseased portion, through an incision in the abdomen. The two ends of the colon are then sewn back together.⁸

Sometimes the surgeon cannot reconnect the colon. In this case, a new opening, or stoma, to the outside of the abdomen is created. The intestine is then connected to the stoma, where a bag is attached to collect body waste. This is called a colostomy. In most cases, a colostomy is only temporary. For most people, it is needed only until the colon or rectum heals from surgery. After healing takes place, the surgeon reconnects the colon and closes the stoma.⁸

During traditional open surgery, the surgeon makes an incision up to 12 inches long from the upper to the lower abdomen to view the colon and remove the diseased portions. Because of the nature of this procedure, patients often face a healing process that results in a hospital stay of at least a week, with recovery time ranging from six to eight weeks.⁹

You now have another surgery option for diverticular disease, a minimally invasive colon surgery, also known as laparoscopic surgery.

Find out more about minimally invasive colon surgery for diverticular disease and whether or not minimally invasive colon surgery may be an option for you.

With both open surgery and minimally invasive colon surgery, you will need time to heal. You will be on intravenous fluids and pain medication and will not be able to eat for the first couple days. You probably will feel tired and weak, and possibly have some constipation for some time. Your healthcare team will monitor your progress and work to get you back to normal as quickly as possible.