A potentially fatal postsurgical complication which may occur in patients who have had long-term steroid therapy is the perforation of colonic diverticula in the early postoperative period.
Three cases of this complication are reported, and the pertinent literature is reviewed. The presence of diverticulosis in patients who have had long-term steroid administration may increase the risk of any proposed surgical procedure. Postoperative abdominal symptoms in these patients are cause for immediate concern. Their inflammatory responses are altered and they may not exhibit the characteristic changes in temperature and laboratory studies typical of peritonitis.