ABSTRACT:The surgical records of 53 patients (average age, 64) with diverticulitis were reviewed. Complications (e.g., hemorrhage, peritonitis, abscess, fistula) had occurred in 30 cases. X‐ray examination in 46 patients showed that the sigmoid was involved in 71 per cent. Among the 50 surviving patients, only 3 had not definitely improved after operation. The treatment of the disease and its various complications is described. The most common errors are: 1) mistaking diverticulitis for appendicitis or a gynecologic disorder, and 2) delay in the diagnosis of perforatio