• Anna M Pietrzak, Agnieszka Chreptowicz, Paulina Wieszczy-Szczepanik, and Andrzej Mróz.
• Pol. Arch. Med. Wewn. 2025 Jan 2.

IntroductionRecently, a three-step endoscopic scale, known as the Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA), was introduced to predict the course of diverticular disease (DD), yielding some promising outcomes. However, analyses were performed only for symptomatic individuals.ObjectivesThe aim of our study was to prospectively evaluate the predictive value of DICA in asymptomatic individuals with no previous diagnosis of DD who underwent colorectal cancer screening colonoscopy.Patients And MethodsWe performed a prospective cohort study. All consecutive individuals, aged 55-65, undergoing screening colonoscopy in a single center during a 6-month period were assessed for eligibility. Those with diverticulosis were followed-up for 12 months. Information on the course of the disease, symptoms, treatment, diverticulitis episodes confirmed by healthcare professionals, complications, and hospital admissions was obtained via telephone interviews conducted by doctors. Detailed data and medical conditions were evaluated.ResultsOut of 3,879 participants, 958 (24.7%) had diverticula. Of these, 872 (49.8% females, mean age 61 years) completed the study. About 83.5%, 12.85%, and 3.67%  of patients were classified as DICA1, DICA2, and DICA3, respectively. Diverticulitis occurred in 12 (1.37%) patients. Hospital admission was needed in five patients. No surgical interventions were necessary. There were no statistically significant relationship between DICA score and diverticulitis or hospital admission. Previous abdominal surgery and appendectomy, the presence and severity of pain, bloating, and previous DD treatment were the only factors predisposing to diverticulitis.ConclusionsIn our cohort, DICA scale had no predictive value for the occurrence of diverticulitis. Hence, has a limited predictive value for occurrence of diverticulitis and more studies on bigger cohorts are necessary to test its usefulness.

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