[Fistulas complicating diverticular disease of the colon].

Five patients were admitted to the 1st and 2nd Division of General Surgery of Soronno Hospital between July '75 and September '78 suffering from fistulas complicating colon diverticulosis. A sixth patient, operated on for diverticulitis, developed a stercoraceous cutaneous fistula in the postoperative period. This was closed by conservative therapy. A woman patient suffering from colo-enteric fistula, was not operated because she refused. In all operated patients, broad resection of the sigmoid was carried out with end-to-end anastomosis. In three cases a caecostomy was formed to protect the anastomosis. All operated patients were treated preoperatively with laxatives, clysters and intestinal antibiotics, prevalently paromomycin and in one case neomycin plus base erythromycin. Surgery led to the cure of all patients treated.