Diverticulosis differential diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Trusha Tank, M.D.[2], Seyedmahdi Pahlavani, M.D. [3]
Overview
Overview
Diverticulosis must be differentiated from other diseases that cause abdominal discomfort, bloating, and occasional bleeding, such as other diverticular diseases (diverticulitis and diverticular bleed), as well as other GI diseases, such as acute pancreatitis, colon cancer, colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, bowel obstruction, volvulus, and appendicitis.
Differential Diagnosis
Differential Diagnosis
Differential diagnosis of diverticulosis includes the following:[1]
- Diverticulitis
- Diverticular bleed
- Perforation / rupture
- Acute pancreatitis
- Intra-abdominal abscess
- Colon cancer and polyps
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Pseudomembranous colitis and other infectious colitis
- Ischemic colitis
- Appendicitis
- Bowel obstruction
- Volvulus
- Anal fissure
- Hemorrhoids
- Angiodysplasia
- Post-polypectomy
- GI bleed
- Ulcers (gastric or colonic)
| Diseases | Clinical manifestations | Para-clinical findings | Gold standard | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symptoms | |||||||||||
| Lab Findings | Imaging | Histopathology | |||||||||
| Bowel frequency | Blood in stool | Abdominal pain | Tenesmus | Other symptoms | Anemia | Colonoscopy | CT scan | Other diagnostic study | |||
| Diverticular diseases[2][3][4] | β or β | +/- | +
RLQ |
– | – |
|
|
Barium enema
|
|
CT scan | |
| Hemorrhoids[5] | β | + | + | – |
|
+ | Anoscopy
|
|
DRE
|
|
Clinical |
| Anal fissure[6] | – | + | + | – | +/- | Anoscopy
|
|
|
|
Clinical | |
| Infectious colitis[7] | β | + | + | – | – |
|
|
Stool analysis
Stool cultures |
|
Stool culture | |
| Irritable bowel syndrome[8] | β β | + | + | + |
|
– |
|
|
Diagnosis of exclusion
|
|
Clinical diagnosis (Rome criteria) |
| Strangulated hernia | β | – | + | – | – |
|
|
Ultrasound:
|
|
Ultrasound | |
| Bowel endometriosis[9] | β or β | + | + | + | + |
|
|
Transvaginal ultrasound
T1-weighted or fat-suppression T1-weighted MRIs
|
|
Transvaginal ultrasound | |
| Appendicitis[10] | β | – | + | – |
|
– |
|
|
Ultrasound
|
|
CT scan |
| Colorectal carcinoma (Adenocarcinoma)[11] | β or β | + | +/- | + |
|
+ |
|
|
PET scans
Barium enema |
|
Biopsy, genetic testing, and histopathological analysis |
| Peutz-Jeghers syndrome [12][13][14][15][16] |
β or β | + | + | – | + | Barium enema
MRI
|
|
Genetic testing for STK11 and colonoscopy | |||
| Carcinoids [17][18][19][20][21] |
β | +/- | + | – | + |
|
|
PET scan (11C-5-hydroxytryptophan, 11C-5-HTP)
MRI
Ki-67 index |
|
Biopsy and histopathological analysis | |
| Juvenile Polyposis Coli[22][23][24][25][26] | β | + | + | – |
|
+ |
|
Barium study
Stool DNA test Diagnose if any of the following positive: |
|
Diagnostic criteria fulfilment | |
| Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST)[27][28][29][30][31] | – | +/- | – | – | +/- |
|
Benign
Malignant GIST with metastasis:
|
Endoscopic ultrasonography
|
|
Endoscopic ultrasound | |
| Hamartoma[34] | β | + | + | + |
|
– |
|
|
Biopsy
|
|
Biopsy |
| Colorectal Lymphoma[35][36] | – | +/- | + | – | + |
|
|
Double-contrast enema
Biopsy |
Biopsy | ||
| Kaposi’s sarcoma[37] | β | + | + | – | + |
|
|
Serology
Biopsy |
|
Biopsy | |
| Arteriovenous malformation[38] | – | + | – | – |
|
+ |
|
|
|
Accidental finding | |
| Ulcerative colitis[39] | β | + | + | + |
|
+ |
|
|
|
|
Endoscopic biopsy |
| Crohn’s disease[39] | β | + | + | + | + |
|
|
|
|
Endoscopic biopsy | |
References
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