Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography and Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Mild-moderate Acute Diverticulitis

Acute diverticulitis (AD) is the most common complication of diverticulosis and is divided into mild-moderate and complicated. Imaging methods are needed for its diagnosis, prognostic classification and therapeutic management. Currently the "gold-standard" imaging technique is computed tomography (CT) and most guidelines recommend it to classify and identify those patients with risk of treatment failure. In this styudy, a prospective comparison of CT and abdominal ultrasound is proposed, with the aim of evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound. An accurate ultrasound classification of AD would allow the differentiation of mild-moderate and complicated DA, avoiding routine CT and, therefore, patient's x-ray exposure.