A 55yo Woman Is Brought To The ER Complaining Of

     A 55yo woman is brought to the ER complaining of severe pain in her left iliac region. She claims previous episodes and that the condition is worse when she is constipated, and relieved by defecation. On exam she had fever and elevated WBC. A large, tender mass is palpated in the left iliac fossa and a barium study revealed a large number of diverticula in her descending and sigmoid colon.

A.     What are diverticula, and what is believed to promote their
formation?