Dr. Madhu Prasad, general surgeon and surgical oncologist at Wayne State and the Karmanos Cancer Center, commented about diverticulitis, the disease that has sidelined Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Diverticulitis is an inflation of little pockets - called diverticuli - that form in the weakest parts of the colon's walls. Prasad said the illness is common in the U.S. because of the high meat intake and the low-vegetable, low-fiber diets.