Diverticulum

A distinction has been made between congenital diverticula, present at birth, and acquired diverticula occurring later in life due to a later pathological process. This is, however, frequently difficult to determine as many diverticula are incidental findings.

Another classification is based on the composition of the wall of the diverticulum. A true diverticulum includes the three normal layers of the bowel wall, i.e. mucosa, submucosa and muscularis mucosae. A false diverticulum occurs through herniation of mucosa and submucosa through a weak area or a defect of the muscular wall and will therefore not include muscular elements. True diverticula cannot be equated with congenital diverticula and false diverticula with acquired ones, as sometimes muscular elements have been demonstrated in acquired diverticula. Confusion can also arise because diverticula secondary to inflammation have also been called false diverticula, a name freely interchanged with pseudodiverticula.

ALB