A series of 119 patients undergoing elective resection for diverticular disease has been reviewed. The indications for resection were classified into two major groups--those with severe infections ("complicated" diverticulitis), comprising 58 patients, and those with minimal infections, comprising 61 patients. The majority of the resections were limited to the sigmoid colon (101 patients). Fifteen patients underwent left hemicolectomy, whilst three had total colectomy. Thirty-six patients (30%) had a proximal defunctioning stoma--18 prior to resection and 19 at the time of resection. Anastomotic defects were noted in 15 patients (12.6%), but these were of clinical significance only in eight (6.7%). There were two deaths (1.7%) and 17 wound infections (14.3%). The group classified as "complicated" diverticulitis included the great majority of the patients requiring colostomy (32 out of 37), almost all those with anastomotic defects (14 out of 15), and most of the patients who had postoperative complications.