This Publication Is Searchable The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy Section 3. Gastrointestinal Disorders Chapter 33. A condition in which multiple diverticula develop in the colon. Giant diverticula, which are rare, range in diameter from 3 to 15 cm and may be single.
Muscular hypertrophy is a common finding in the sigmoid.
Symptoms, Signs, and Diagnosis Bleeding, sometimes massive, can occur from the lumen of a diverticulum, probably caused by erosion of the adjacent vessel secondary to impacted feces in the diverticulum. Except for bleeding, diverticula per se are harmless. However, because of fecal impaction in the sac, secondary erosion and inflammation and diverticulitis can follow with the attendant complications. Diverticulosis is suspected when symptoms such as rectal bleeding or diverticulitis are present. Based on this suspicion and in the absence of acute symptoms, diverticulosis can usually be diagnosed by barium enema, particularly when air-contrast is used, or by colonoscopy.