What does “Diverticulosis without diverticulitis” mean on a radiology report?
There are small pouches in the wall of the bowel, but none of them is inflamed or infected.
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General explanations of common wording, not advice about your own scan. Ask the doctor who ordered it what your results mean for you.
Why the radiologist wrote it that way
The two words differ by one suffix and mean very different things. Diverticulosis means pouches (diverticula) have formed in the wall of the large bowel, most often the sigmoid colon on the lower left. Diverticulitis means one or more of them has become inflamed. A CT done for abdominal pain often answers exactly that question, so the radiologist states both halves: the pouches are there, and the inflammation is not.
Is this good or bad news?
Diverticulosis is very common in older adults in many countries, and most people who have it never have symptoms. On a scan it is usually an incidental finding. The phrase "without diverticulitis" is the reassuring half: there is no sign of the inflammation that causes pain, fever and the need for treatment. If you were scanned for abdominal pain, the report will usually say elsewhere whether another cause was found. Your doctor may talk about diet and fibre, which is general advice for bowel health; the NHS has a plain guide to diverticular disease.
What it does not mean
- That you have diverticulitis. The report is saying specifically that you do not, at the time of the scan.
- That the pouches are dangerous. Most cause no problems at all.
- That surgery or antibiotics are needed for the pouches themselves.
Where you will see it
Words in this phrase
- DiverticulumA small pouch that bulges out from the wall of the colon or other organs.
- InflammationBody's response to injury or infection, causing redness, swelling, and pain.
- AbdomenThe part of the body between the chest and pelvis. Contains organs like the stomach, liver, intestines, and kidneys.
- Mucosal thickeningSwelling of the mucous membrane lining, often in sinuses from infection or allergies.
One phrase is not the whole report
What this sentence means for you depends on everything else your report says. Radily reads the whole thing and explains it in plain English — and can talk you through it on video, so you are not reading medical language alone.
Other phrases on your report
- No acute intracranial abnormalityThe scan found nothing new or urgent inside the skull — no bleeding, no swelling, no sign of injury needing treatment today.
- UnremarkableNormal. There was nothing worth remarking on.
- Mild degenerative changesOrdinary age-related wear in the joints or spine — the kind almost everyone develops, to some degree, as they get older.
- No acute cardiopulmonary processThe chest X-ray shows no new problem with the heart or lungs — no pneumonia, no fluid around the lungs, no collapsed lung, and a heart that looks a normal size.
This explains how a phrase is commonly used in radiology reports. It is not a diagnosis, not a reading of your scan, and not medical advice. Only your doctor can tell you what your own report means.