Predictors of 5-year recurrence of diverticulitis:
(1) per millimeter increase in maximum colon wall thickness in affected segment (hazard ratio 1.05)
(2) increase in diverticulitis severity category (hazard ratio 1.29)
(3) diverticulitis in proximal colon (hazard ratio 0.45)
(4) male sex (hazard ratio 1.39)
Caveats for measuring colonic wall thickness:
(1) do not include a diverticulum
(2) do not include any extracolonic abscess or fluid
(3) do not measure at the point of an intramural abscess
(4) do not measure pericolonic edema
The reference point for wall thickness is not specified. Based on the data shown in Figure 2 a measurement of 8 mm will be used.
Categories of inflammatory change:
(1) none
(2) minimal
(3) mild
(4) moderate
(5) severe
The reference point for the inflammatory severity is not specified. Based on Figure 3 a baseline of minimal will be used.