Identification of diverticular disease in Swedish healthcare registers: a validation study.

PURPOSE: The Swedish National Patient Register (SNPR) is frequently used in studies of colonic diverticular disease (DD). Despite this, the validity of the coding for this specific disease in the register has not been studied. METHODS: From SNPR, 650 admissions were randomly identified encoded with ICD 10, K572-K579. From the years 2002 and 2010, 323 and 327 patients respectively were included in the validation study. Patients were excluded prior to, or up to 2 years after a diagnosis with IBD, Celiac disease, IBS, all forms of colorectal cancer (primary and secondary), and anal cancer. Medical records were collected and data on clinical findings with assessments, X-ray examinations, endoscopies and laboratory results were reviewed. The basis of coding was compared with internationally accepted definitions for colonic diverticular disease. Positive predictive values (PPV) were calculated. RESULTS: The overall PPV for all diagnoses and both years was 95% (95% CI: 93-96). The PPV for the year 2010 was slightly higher 98% (95% CI: 95-99) than in the year 2002, 91% (95% CI: (87-94) which may be due to the increasing use of computed tomography (CT). CONCLUSION: The validity of DD in SNPR is high, making the SNPR a good source for population-based studies on DD.

Ultrasonographic and Functional Features of Symptomatic Uncomplicated Diverticular Disease.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the ability of intestinal ultrasound (IUS) in discriminating symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD) among patients with abdominal symptoms including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). METHODS: This observational, prospective study included consecutive patients classified into the following categories: (i) SUDD; (ii) IBS; (iii) unclassifiable abdominal symptoms; and (iv) controls, including asymptomatic healthy subjects and diverticulosis. The IUS evaluation of the sigmoid: assessed the presence of diverticula, thickness of the muscularis propria, and IUS-evoked pain, namely the intensity of pain evoked by compression with the ultrasound probe on sigmoid colon compared with an area of the left lower abdominal quadrant without underlying sigmoid colon. RESULTS: We enrolled 40 patients with SUDD, 20 patients with IBS, 28 patients with unclassifiable abdominal symptoms, 10 healthy controls, and 20 patients with diverticulosis. Patients with SUDD displayed significantly ( P < 0.001) greater muscle thickness (2.25 ± 0.73 mm) compared with patients with IBS (1.66 ± 0.32 mm), patients with unclassifiable abdominal pain, and healthy subjects, but comparable with that of patients with diverticulosis (2.35 ± 0.71 mm). Patients with SUDD showed a greater (not significant) differential pain score than other patients. There was a significant correlation between the thickness of the muscularis propria and the differential pain score only for patients with SUDD ( r = 0.460; P : 0.01). Sigmoid diverticula were detected by colonoscopy in 40 patients (42.4%) and by IUS with a sensitivity of 96.0% and a specificity of 98.5%. DISCUSSION: IUS could represent a useful diagnostic tool for SUDD, potentially useful in characterizing the disease and appropriately address the therapeutic approach.

Effectiveness of endoscopic hemostasis in preventing diverticular bleeding with extravasation detected by contrast-enhanced computed tomography: A single-center retrospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT: In diverticular bleeding, extravasation detected by computed tomography indicates active bleeding. It is unclear whether an endoscopic procedure is the best method of hemostasis for diverticular bleeding. This retrospective study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of endoscopic hemostasis in preventing diverticular rebleeding with extravasation visualized by contrast-enhanced computed tomography.This single-center, retrospective, the observational study utilized data from an endoscopic database. Adult patients admitted to our hospital due to diverticular bleeding diagnosed by colonoscopy were included. We compared the data between the extravasation-positive and extravasation-negative groups. The primary outcome was the proportion of successful hemostasis without rebleeding within 1 month after the first endoscopic procedure. Altogether, 69 patients were included in the study (n = 17, extravasation-positive group; n = 52, extravasation-negative group). The overall rebleeding rate was 30.4% (21/69). The rebleeding rate was higher in the extravasation-positive group than in the extravasation-negative group, although without a statistically significant difference. However, among the patients who underwent endoscopic hemostasis, the rebleeding rate was significantly higher in the extravasation-positive group than in the extravasation-negative group (50% [8/16] vs 10.5% [2/19], p = .022). In the extravasation-positive group, all 8 patients with rebleeding underwent repeat colonoscopy. Of these, 5 patients required additional clips; bleeding was controlled in 3 patients, while arterial embolization or surgery was required for hemostasis in 2 patients. None of the remaining 3 patients with rebleeding in the extravasation-positive group required clipping; thus, their conditions were only observed.Many patients with diverticular bleeding who exhibited extravasation on computed tomography experienced rebleeding after endoscopic hemostasis. However, bleeding in more than half of these patients could be stopped by 2 endoscopic procedures, without performing transcatheter arterial embolization or surgery even if rebleeding occurred. Some serious major complications due to such invasive interventions are reported in the literature, but colonoscopic complications did not occur in our patients. Endoscopic hemostasis may be the preferred and effective first-line therapy for patients with diverticular bleeding who have extravasation, as visualized by contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

To Fill or Not to Fill? - Value of the Administration of Positive Rectal Contrast for CT Evaluation of Diverticular Disease of the Colon.

PURPOSE: To assess the value of the administration of positive rectal contrast at CT in patients referred for suspected diverticular disease (DD) of the colon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 460 patients (253 male, 207 female; median age 62 years; interquartile range 24) with clinical suspicion of DD of the colon were included in this retrospective IRB-approved study. CT was performed with i. v. contrast only (n = 328, group M1), i. v. + positive rectal contrast (n = 82, group M2), neither i. v. nor rectal contrast (n = 32, group S1), or positive rectal contrast only (n = 19, group S2). Two readers in consensus evaluated all CT datasets concerning diagnosis of DD (yes/no) and categorized findings (classification of diverticular disease (CDD)). Sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values for the diagnosis of DD were calculated for all groups, using either clinical follow-up (n = 335) or intraoperative findings (n = 125) as the reference standard. In patients undergoing surgery, radiological staging of DD was correlated with the histopathology (weighted Cohen-k). RESULTS: 224 patients (48.7 %) were diagnosed with DD. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were as follows. Group M1 / M2: 92 %/92 %, 97 %/94 %, 96 %/96 %, 94 %/89 %, respectively; group S1 / S2: 94 %/86 %, 93 %/80 %, 94 %/92 %, 93 %/67 %, respectively. Radiological staging and histopathology correlated substantially in all groups (k = 0.748-0.861). CONCLUSION: Abdominal CT had a high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of DD. Disease staging correlated well with the findings at surgery. Additional positive rectal contrast administration did not have a significant advantage and may therefore be omitted in patients with suspected DD. KEY POINTS: · CT has a high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of DD.. · CT staging using the CDD algorithm correlates very well with surgery.. · Positive rectal contrast administration does not improve diagnosis and radiological staging.. CITATION FORMAT: · Meyer S, Schmidbauer M, Wacker FK et al. To Fill or Not to Fill? - Value of the Administration of Positive Rectal Contrast for CT Evaluation of Diverticular Disease of the Colon. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2021; 193: 804 - 812.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Diverticular Disease and its Association with Adipose Tissue Compartments and Constitutional Risk Factors in Subjects from a Western General Population.

PURPOSE: To determine the association of asymptomatic diverticular disease as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with adipose tissue compartments, hepatic steatosis and constitutional risk factors within a cohort drawn from a Western general population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Asymptomatic subjects enrolled in a prospective case-control study underwent a 3 Tesla MRI scan, including an isotropic VIBE-Dixon sequence of the entire trunk. The presence and extent of diverticular disease were categorized according to the number of diverticula in each colonic segment in a blinded fashion. The amount of visceral, subcutaneous, and total adipose tissue (VAT, SAT, and TAT) was quantified by MRI. Additionally, the degree of hepatic steatosis, indicated as hepatic proton density fat fraction (hepatic PDFF) was determined using a multi-echo T1w sequence. Constitutional cardiometabolic risk factors were obtained and univariate and multivariate associations were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 371 subjects were included in the analysis (58.2 % male, 56.2 ±â€Š9.2 years). Based on MRI, 154 participants (41.5 %) had diverticular disease with 62 cases (17 %) being advanced diverticular disease. Subjects with advanced diverticular disease had a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) (BMI: 29.9 ±â€Š5.1 vs. 27.5 ±â€Š4.6, p < 0.001; respectively). Furthermore, all adipose tissue compartments were increased in subjects with advanced diverticular disease (e. g. VAT: 6.0 ±â€Š2.8 vs. 4.2 ±â€Š2.6 and SAT: 9.2 ±â€Š3.6 vs. 7.8 ±â€Š3.6, all p < 0.001, respectively). Similarly, subjects with advanced diverticular disease had significantly higher hepatic PDFF (4.9 [2.7, 11.4] vs. 6.1 [5.5, 14.6], p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Advanced diverticular disease is associated with an increased volume of adipose tissue compartments and BMI, which may suggest a metabolic role in disease development. KEY POINTS: · Diverticular disease is associated with constitutional risk factors such as BMI.. · Excess of adipose tissue compartments and hepatic steatosis are associated with the prevalence of diverticular disease.. · Our results suggest a shared pathological pathway of cardiometabolic alterations and the prevalence of diverticular disease.. · MRI is feasible for the assessment of adipose tissue compartments, hepatic steatosis, and diverticular disease and allows identification of patients who are at risk but in an asymptomatic disease state.. CITATION FORMAT: · Storz C, Rospleszcz S, Askani E et al. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Diverticular Disease and its Association with Adipose Tissue Compartments and Constitutional Risk Factors in Subjects from a Western General Population. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2021; 193: 33 - 41.

[Ultrasound diagnosis of chronic paracolic inflammatory mass in diverticular disease]. / Ul'trazvukovaya diagnostika khronicheskogo parakolicheskogo infil'trata pri divertikulyarnoi bolezni obodochnoi kishki.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound in diagnosis of chronic paracolic inflammatory mass in patients with diverticular disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed ultrasonic findings in 216 patients with chronic inflammatory complications of colonic diverticular disease. Chronic paracolic inflammatory mass as the most common and significant chronic complication of diverticular disease was analyzed in 116 patients. Ultrasonic findings were compared with specimen assessment, intraoperative data, irrigoscopy, colonoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound and computed tomography data. RESULTS: Sensitivity of ultrasound for diagnosis of chronic paracolic inflammatory mass was 76,7%, specificity - 100%, overall accuracy - 87,5%. CT and endoscopic ultrasound were the most informative among different diagnostic tools (sensitivity 79,6% and 77,8%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonic examination and computed tomography are the most valuable methods for diagnosis of chronic paracolic inflammatory mass in patients with diverticular disease. Ultrasound is a first-line method for diagnosis and follow-up of complicated diverticular disease due to its availability, safety and unnecessary special preparation of patients.

Visualización de divertículo de Killian-Jamieson bilateral en gammagrafía para el estudio del reflujo gastroesofágico con [99mTc]Tc-nanocoloide / Visualization of Killian-Jamieson bilateral diverticulum in gastro-esophageal reflux scintigraphy with [99mTc]Tc-nanocolloid

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Extravasation and fluid collection on computed tomography imaging in patients with colonic diverticular bleeding.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the characteristics of patients with diverticular bleeding in whom emergency endoscopy should be proactively performed and those in whom it is unnecessary for spontaneous hemostasis following conservative treatment. METHODS: This study involved 132 patients in whom diverticular bleeding was diagnosed on lower gastrointestinal endoscopy. We evaluated the rate of identification of the bleeding diverticulum during endoscopy and the rate of spontaneous hemostasis following conservative treatment. RESULTS: In 26 patients (20%), bleeding diverticulum was identified during endoscopy. Extravasation or fluid collection on CT imaging was an important factor of successful identification of the bleeding source on endoscopy. Of the 104 patients in the conservative treatment group, 91 (87%) were able to be discharged after spontaneous hemostasis. Univariate analysis revealed a high rate of spontaneous hemostasis in patients without extravasation and fluid collection on CT imaging, those without adhesion of blood during endoscopy, those without diabetes, and those with a hemoglobin level ≥10 g/dL. CONCLUSION: In patients with colonic diverticular bleeding, extravasation or fluid collection on CT is an important factor related to the identification of the bleeding diverticulum. Patients without characteristic CT findings had a high rate of spontaneous hemostasis after conservative treatment. BACKGROUND: Diverticular bleeding is the most frequent cause of lower gastrointestinal bleeding accounting for 20%-40% of all cases in Japan and 20%-48% of all those in the Western countries[1, 2]. The prevalence of colonic diverticula tends to increase with age; thus, the overall prevalence of diverticular bleeding is expected to increase in the future. In Japan, the Japanese Gastroenterological Association published guidelines on colonic diverticulitis in 2017; these guidelines recommend the performance of lower gastrointestinal endoscopic examination within 24 h in patients with lower gastrointestinal bleeding suspected to be diverticular bleeding[3]. It has been reported that, for patients with lower gastrointestinal bleeding, urgent endoscopy helps avoid embolotherapy, colectomy, massive blood transfusion, and repeat bleeding[1, 4, 5]. However, it is often difficult to identify the bleeding point [6]; further, there are many challenging cases wherein it is difficult to decide whether urgent endoscopy should be performed in situations where there is insufficient medical staff, such as during nighttime and on holidays. Bleeding is reported to stop spontaneously with conservative treatment alone in 70% of diverticular bleeding cases[7, 8]. In particular, when determining the treatment policy for diverticular bleeding and in the case of patients at high risk of complications following endoscopy, such as older patients, those with poor performance status or cardiovascular disease, and those in whom spontaneous hemostasis can be expected, urgent endoscopy should be avoided, and elective endoscopy should be selected. Therefore, the type of cases wherein urgent endoscopy is effective and the type wherein it is unnecessary need to be clarified. Thus far, there have been very few reports of the characteristics of patients with diverticular bleeding in whom spontaneous hemostasis was achieved. We aimed to assess the characteristics of patients in whom emergency endoscopy should be proactively performed and those for whom it is unnecessary. Thus, we retrospectively analyzed the identification rate for the responsible diverticulum in patients with diverticular bleeding and the rate of spontaneous hemostasis following conservative treatment.

Clinical characteristics of appendiceal diverticular disease.

BACKGROUND: Appendiceal diverticular disease (ADD) is a rare pathology which is associated with an increased mortality risk due to rapid perforation and high rates of neoplasm. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical and histopathological characteristics of ADD with differences from acute appendicitis (AA) diagnosis and to determine the association with neoformative processes. METHODS: The 4279 patients who underwent appendectomy were evaluated retrospectively. ADD patients histopathologically classified into four groups. Patients' demographic characteristics, imaging and preoperative laboratory findings, additionally postoperative histopathology results were compared between groups. RESULTS: The prevalence of ADD was 2.29% (n = 98). In addition, the male/female ratio was 2.37 in ADD patients who were found to be significantly older than those with AA patients. Type III was the most frequently (62.2%) identified sub-group of ADD. The incidence of neoplasms, plastrone, and Littre's hernia was found statistically higher in ADD group than AA group. Mucinous adenomas (10.2%) was the most common neoplasm while the carcinoid tumor (1%) and precancerous serrated adenomas (4.1%) were also reported. CONCLUSIONS: As a result, high neoplasm in ADD patients can be shown with incidence of perforation and plastron, and in order to avoid possible neoplasm or major complications, it is necessary to carry out new studies for the right diagnosis of ADD whether the diagnosis is done preoperatively or intraoperatively. We recommend surgical resection of the ADD, which may even be incidentally detected during any surgical procedure, due to its high risk of neoplasm and rapid perforation.

Acquired diverticular disease of the jejunum and ileum: imaging features and pitfalls.

PURPOSE: To present radiological aspects of jejunoileal diverticulosis and its complications. RESULTS: Jejunoileal diverticulosis is a relatively rare and underestimated condition, which mostly affects the elderly. It is frequently asymptomatic but it can lead to significant complications requiring surgical treatment. Jejunoileal diverticulosis is far less common than colonic diverticulosis. Acquired small bowel diverticula are often numerous but the complication rate is low. Acute diverticulitis is the most frequent complication; its classic presentation involves the jejunum and is often non-severe. Diverticular hemorrhage is the second most common complication; CT scan examination is essential to determine the accurate topography of the pathological diverticula. Small bowel obstruction can occur through several mechanisms: adhesions, enterolith, and intussusception. Extra-intestinal gas without perforation and "pseudo-ischemic" appearance are non-pathological conditions that are important to diagnose in order to avoid surgery. CONCLUSION: Jejunoileal diverticulosis usually does not show any symptoms but can lead to diagnostic challenges requiring evaluation by CT. CT scan signs of these complications and some pitfalls must be known.

Topical haemostatic powder as a novel endoscopic therapy for severe colonic diverticular bleeding.

BACKGROUND: Although most diverticular bleeding resolve spontaneously, up to 30% can bleed torrentially, necessitating angioembolization, endoscopic or surgical intervention. Non-contact endoscopic therapies, such as topical haemostatic powders, do not require precise targeting and are attractive because identification of specific culprit diverticulum is difficult. While their use in non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding is well established, its role in lower gastrointestinal bleeding remains unclear. We used topical Hemospray in a novel setting of severe diverticular bleeding, evaluating its efficacy in achieving haemostasis, reducing re-bleeding and the need for re-intervention. METHODS: Consecutive patients from a tertiary colorectal unit who underwent colonoscopy and Hemospray for severe diverticular bleeding from November 2016 to October 2017 were included. Hemospray was endoscopically applied to colonic segments with major stigmata of recent haemorrhage. RESULTS: Ten patients had a median time to colonoscopy of 22 h (range: 8-54) from admission. Median of 3.5 units (range: 0-10) of packed cells were transfused pre-endoscopy. All achieved immediate haemostasis without further haemodynamic instability or re-bleeding. No endoscopic, radiological or surgical re-intervention was required. Patients were fit for discharge within a median of 3 days (range: 2-7) following Hemospray. There were no morbidities, mortalities or readmissions for diverticular bleeding after a median follow-up of 9.5 months (range: 3-16). CONCLUSION: This feasibility study shows that topical haemostatic powders can offer a safe and effective therapeutic endoscopic option in severe diverticular bleeding with high haemostatic rate. Prospective controlled trials are required to establish its efficacy compared to conventional therapy.

Adult intussusception secondary to diverticular disease.

Intussusception is the invagination of a proximal segment of bowel into the lumen of an adjacent distal segment. It is a common condition in the paediatric age group although it rarely occurs in adults. Organic lesions in the bowel wall are the primary cause of adult intussusceptions with malignant neoplasms being the most common. However, we present a rare case of a 92-year-old man diagnosed with an intussusception of the sigmoid-rectal colon secondary to a diverticular stricture.

Imágenes en divertículos del tubo digestivo: localizaciones infrecuentes. serie de casos / Imaging in infrequent digestive diverticula: case series

Los divertículos se pueden localizar en todo el tubo digestivo (TD): esófago, estómago, duodeno, yeyuno, íleon, apéndice, colon. Son infrecuentes, salvo en colon. Sus manifestaciones clínicas son inespecíficas, con difícil diagnóstico y mayor riesgo de complicaciones. Se presenta una serie de divertículos digestivos atípicos, mostrando las características imagenológicas multimodalidad y describir los hallazgos claves. Es una revisión retrospectiva en el archivo computacional de nuestra institución. Selección de casos de divertículos de presentación inhabitual por sus características, localización u origen. En esófago los divertículos de Zenker y Killian-Jamieson. En estómago los divertículos gástricos infrecuentes. Los divertículos en intestino delgado tienen baja prevalencia, el más frecuente en duodeno. Los divertículos colónicos pueden tener una localización o presentación atípica. Los divertículos apendiculares y Meckel presentan baja prevalencia. Los divertículos digestivos son infrecuentes, excepto los colónicos. El radiólogo debe estar familiarizado con las diferentes ubicaciones de ellos, para reconocerlos y poder diagnosticarlos.

Diverticula may occur in any segment of the digestive tract: esophagus, stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, appendix, and colon. Its clinical manifestations are nonspecifi which may turn diffiult an early diagnosis, leading to a higher risk of complications. We present a cases serie of atypical digestive diverticula and to describe the fidings on the different imaging techniques. We performed a retrospective review on the imaging computer archives of our institution. The atypical diverticula were selected. Zenker and Killian-Jamieson's diverticulums in esophagus. In stomach ocasionally gastric diverticula. Diverticula in small intestine have a low prevalence, the most common location is duodenum. Colonic diverticula may present a atypical location or presentation. The appendicular and Meckel diverticuli are uncommon. The digestive diverticula are uncommon, except the colonic ones. The radiologist must be familiar with it's different locations in order to be able to recognize it and diagnose it properly.

A critical appraisal of advances in the diagnosis of diverticular disease.

INTRODUCTION: Diverticulosis of the colon is a common condition, and about one-fourth of those people develop symptoms, which is called 'diverticular disease' (DD). Since there are still some concerns about the diagnosis of DD, the aim of this review was to analyze current and evolving advances in its diagnosis. Area covered: Analysis of clinical, radiology, laboratory, and endoscopic tools to pose a correct diagnosis of DD was performed according to current PubMed literature. Expert commentary: A combination of clinical characteristic of the abdominal pain and fecal calprotectin expression may help to differentiate between symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Abdominal computerized tomography (CT) scan is still the gold standard in diagnosing acute diverticulitis and its complications. CT-colonography may be useful as a predicting tool on the outcome of the disease. Diverticular Inflammation and Complications Assessment (DICA) endoscopic classification shows a significant relationship between severity of DICA score inflammatory indexes, as well as with severity of abdominal pain. Moreover, it seems to be predictive of the outcome of the disease in terms of acute diverticulitis occurrence/recurrence and surgery occurrence. Finally, preliminary data found intestinal microbiota analysis is a promising tool in diagnosing and monitoring this disease.

Contrast-enhanced CT for Colonic Diverticular Bleeding before Colonoscopy: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

Purpose To demonstrate the usefulness of precolonoscopy intravenous contrast material-enhanced CT for colonic diverticular bleeding (CDB). Materials and Methods A prospective, multicenter, observational study was performed. Patients with acute-onset hematochezia who were admitted to hospital were included, and those without CDB were excluded. CT was performed before colonoscopy. A Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test, and multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed to determine the accuracy of CT before colonoscopy. Results A total of 442 patients (mean age, 71.2 years; 302 male patients; 68.3% men) were included between January 2014 and December 2015, and 202 patients were diagnosed as having CDB. The positive extravasation rate during CT was 50 of 202 (24.7%) among all patients and five of nine (55.6%) among patients who underwent CT within 1 hour of the last hematochezia. At multivariable analysis, the interval from the last hematochezia until CT was a predictor of extravasation (beta coefficient, -.0038 ± 0.0014 [standard deviation]). Extravasation at CT had a sensitivity of 38 of 66 (57.6%; 95% confidence interval: 44.8%, 69.7%) and a specificity of 124 of 136 (91.2%; 95% confidence interval: 85.1%, 95.4%) for the prediction of stigmata of recent hemorrhage of diverticula during colonoscopy. The sensitivity was higher in patients who underwent CT examination within 4 hours of hematochezia, compared with those examined after 4 hours (64.7% [33 of 51] vs 33.3% [five of 15]; P < .01). Conclusion Extravasation findings for CT with intravenous contrast material had high specificity for the prediction of stigmata of recent hemorrhage of diverticula during colonoscopy, regardless of the timing of the CT examination. Although the sensitivity was relatively low, it was higher when the CT examination was performed within 4 hours after the last hematochezia. Therefore, urgent precolonoscopy CT may contribute to decision making regarding whether an urgent colonoscopy should be performed.

Cortical differences in diverticular disease and correlation with symptom reports.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that the brain of patients with gastrointestinal disease differ both structurally and functionally from that of controls. Highly somatizing diverticular disease (HSDD) patients were also shown to differ from low somatizing (LSDD) patients functionally. This study aimed to investigate how they differed structurally. METHODS: Four diseases subgroups were studied in a cross-sectional design: 20 patients with asymptomatic diverticular disease (ADD), 18 LSDD, 16 HSDD, and 18 with irritable bowel syndrome. We divided DD patients into LSDD and HSDD using a cutoff of 6 on the Patient Health Questionnaire 12 Somatic Symptom (PHQ12-SS) scale. All patients underwent a 1-mm isotropic structural brain MRI scan and were assessed for somatization, hospital anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing. Whole brain volumetry, cortical thickness analysis and voxel-based morphometry were carried out using Freesurfer and SPM. KEY RESULTS: We observed decreases in gray matter density in the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), and in the mid-cingulate and motor cortex, and increases in the left (19, 20) and right (19, 38) Brodmann Areas. The average cortical thickness differed overall across groups (P = .002) and regionally: HSDD > ADD in the posterior cingulate cortex (P = .03), HSDD > LSDD in the dlPFC (P = .03) and in the ventrolateral PFC (P < .001). The thickness of the anterior cingulate cortex and of the mid-prefrontal cortex were also found to correlate with Pain Catastrophizing (Spearman's ρ = 0.24, P = .043 uncorrected and Spearman's ρ = 0.25, P = .03 uncorrected). CONCLUSION & INFERENCES: This is the first study of structural gray matter abnormalities in diverticular disease patients. The data show brain differences in the pain network.