Surveillance and follow-up in acute diverticulitis with pericolic free gas (ADiFas II): an age-specific analysis

The objective of this study was to examine the differences in clinical presentation and complications during the first year of follow-up in patients who experienced an episode of acute diverticulitis (AD) with pericolic free gas, comparing outcomes across different age groups. A prospective subanalysis was conducted on a cohort from the ADiFAS study, which originally included 1099 patients. After excluding 289 patients who did not meet the inclusion criteria, 810 patients remained for analysis. From this cohort, 330 patients with AD and pericolic free gas were selected using propensity score matching and divided into two age groups: < 65 years and ≥ 65 years. The groups were matched based on sex, BMI, diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular disease, previous episodes of AD, and the presence of free fluid on CT scan. Data were assessed for Hinchey classification, surgical procedures, complications, and the frequency of surveillance through colonoscopy and CT scans. The study found a significantly higher rate of surgery in the older group during the index episode (17% vs. 4.2%, p = 0.000). A higher proportion of patients in the older group were misclassified as Hinchey II (18.2% vs. 6.4%, p = 0.007) and Hinchey III (2.3% vs. 0.7%, p = 0.304). All patients classified as Hinchey III (1 in the younger group and 3 in the older group) underwent emergency surgery. In the younger group, 2 out of 8 emergency surgeries were for patients classified as Hinchey II, compared to 11 out of 28 in the older group. Only 58% of patients underwent any form of imaging or endoscopic surveillance during the first year of follow-up. Among those, complications such as abscess, fistula, or stenosis were observed in 17% of patients, occurring more frequently in the older group (16.9% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.089). Nearly 50% of these patients required surgery, with 6 cases in the younger group and 9 in the older group. Emergency surgeries were more common in the older group (2.4% vs. 0.6%, p = 0.186), as was elective surgery (10.3% vs. 7.9%, p = 0.283). A conservative approach, combined with meticulous monitoring through regular follow-ups and imaging, can be effectively employed in managing patients with acute diverticulitis and pericolic free gas. However, our findings highlight the critical need for rigorous surveillance, especially in older patients, due to the higher prevalence of long-term complications.