Complications of Diverticulitis

Complications of diverticulitis include:

• A pocket of infection (abscess) that forms in the abdominal cavity. The inflammation or infection then may spread to the membrane that covers the inside of the abdominal wall, causing peritonitis. This infection in turn may spread to other parts of the body (sepsis).
• Free perforation. In rare cases, a hole in a diverticulum may allow stool to enter the abdominal cavity, causing peritonitis.
• An abnormal opening (fistula) that forms between the large intestine and organs near it. In diverticulitis, a fistula may form between two parts of the large intestine or between the large intestine and the bladder, vagina, or urethra.
• Blockage in the colon (bowel obstruction).

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