← Issue №1/ week of Jun 24, 2026/Colorectal

ACG Clinical Guideline: Colonic Diverticulitis.

From GI Signals issue №1: what this paper found, what it changes, and where it sits against the current standard of care, reviewed by Simon Mathews, MD.

Colorectal guideline · Jul 1, 2026 · Am J Gastro · IF 14.9

ACG Clinical Guideline: Colonic Diverticulitis.

Guideline / review
Clinical takeawayIn immunocompetent patients with mild, CT-confirmed uncomplicated left-sided diverticulitis who are non-toxic (no SIRS, CRP under 140 mg/L, WBC under 15), tolerating oral intake, and safe for outpatient care, manage without antibiotics; reserve antibiotics for immunocompromise, frailty, significant comorbidity, systemic inflammation, or refractory symptoms.
What it foundComputed tomography imaging is essential for diverticulitis diagnosis, especially at first presentation or in severe cases; colonoscopy post-recovery is recommended for complicated cases and suggested for uncomplicated cases with alarm symptoms or inadequate CRC screening.
ContextRefines prior practice by deprioritizing antibiotics for low-risk uncomplicated cases (supported by RCTs) and clarifying imaging/colonoscopy roles. Challenges historical dietary restrictions (e.g., nuts/seeds). Confirms surgery referral for select recurrent cases.
Measured against the standard of care· USMSTF 2017 (Rex et al., Gastroenterology) + USMSTF 2022 focused update on age (Patel et al., Gastroenterology 2022;162:285-299) / ACS 2026 (CA Cancer J Clin)

Decision at stakewhether to perform colonoscopy after diverticulitis

No single passage of this standard matched the paper closely enough to quote, so none is shown. The standard is cited above.

Our full summary of this standard

U.S. Multi-Society Task Force (2017 guideline, revised by the 2022 focused update on age to start and stop): offer average-risk colorectal cancer screening to everyone aged 45-75. Screening at 45-49 is a weaker recommendation than at 50-75. Colonoscopy every 10 years and annual FIT are the Tier 1 cornerstones. Tier 2 alternatives are multi-target stool DNA every 3 years, CT colonography every 5 years, and flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5-10 years. Capsule colonoscopy every 5 years is Tier 3. Any abnormal non-colonoscopy test requires a diagnostic colonoscopy, and a stool test should not be offered to a patient who would decline follow-up colonoscopy. Patients who are up to date with negative prior screening, particularly a high-quality colonoscopy, may consider stopping at 75 or when life expectancy is under 10 years. Decisions at 76-85 are individualized by health and prior screening, and screening after 85 is not recommended. The American Cancer Society's May 2026 guideline agrees on the 45-75 range, no screening after 85, and colonoscopy as the preferred option. It adds the next-generation mt-sDNA test and the multitarget stool RNA test (ColoSense), both every 3 years, and it adds an FDA-approved blood-based cfDNA test (Shield) only for people who decline or do not complete visual or stool screening. ACS says a positive stool or blood test should be followed by colonoscopy, preferably within 6 months. The 2026 ASGE paper on follow-up after an abnormal stool test is an implementation review (navigation, tracking, direct-access colonoscopy), not a new screening guideline.

USMSTF 2017 (Rex et al., Gastroenterology) + USMSTF 2022 focused update on age (Patel et al., Gastroenterology 2022;162:285-299) / ACS 2026 (CA Cancer J Clin) · reviewed 2026-10-11 ↗
Peery AF … Grover S · American Journal of Gastroenterology · IF 14.9 · PubMed ↗Permalink
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