Diverticular disease of the appendix

Abstract

Diverticular disease of the appendix involves about 1 per cent of all appendices removed. Considering the large number, the subject appears to have been neglected in medical literature. Since the symptomatology is similar to that of appendicitis and diverticula are frequently very small, they could go unnoticed. A comparison of 30 cases of diverticular disease and 30 cases of acute appendicitis reveals a few fine differences. The patients with diverticular disease are at least a decade older, the duration of pain in these patients is longer, and the diverticula and appendix may or may not be inflamed.