Polypectomy is the removal of a polyp during colonoscopy, done through the scope with a snare or forceps and no incision at all. It matters because most colorectal cancers start as polyps, and taking them out during screening is one of the most effective cancer-prevention steps in all of medicine. For the patient, it usually adds nothing to the recovery from the colonoscopy itself, with normal activity resuming the next day in most cases.
According to Dr. Vipulroy Rathod, Gastroenterologist in Mumbai, “The beauty of polypectomy is that we find the problem and fix it in the same sitting. A polyp that could have become cancer over the next decade is gone before the patient wakes up from sedation. That’s prevention in its most direct form, and it’s why I tell people not to skip screening colonoscopy over worries about the procedure.”
How Is a Polypectomy Performed?
The technique adapts to the polyp, and most are removed cleanly in a single pass.
Most polyps come out with a snare, a wire loop passed through the scope that encircles the polyp and removes it, usually with a brief electric current to seal the base against bleeding.
The tiniest ones don’t even need current. A cold snare cuts straight through polyps just a few millimetres across, which is fast and about as low-risk as endoscopic removal gets.
Larger or flat lesions call for EMR. Fluid injected beneath the polyp lifts it clear of the deeper bowel wall, and the raised lesion then comes off in pieces or as a single specimen.
Whatever is removed goes to pathology. Taking the polyp out is only half the point, because the microscope is what tells you whether it was benign, precancerous, or already turning malignant.
Choosing the right removal technique for the polyp’s size and shape is exactly what a specialist in polypectomy judges during the procedure itself.
What Does Recovery Look Like?
For most patients recovery runs in hours rather than days, though a few points are worth knowing.
Expect to sleep off the sedation first. It clears over a few hours, after which most patients manage a light meal and head home the same day.
If bloating or cramping follows, that’s the air used to inflate the colon working its way out, and getting up and moving around clears it within a few hours.
Bigger removals ask for a short stretch of caution, so after a large polyp or an EMR a soft diet and no heavy lifting for a few days lets the site seal over properly.
Some symptoms mean calling the clinic rather than waiting. Significant rectal bleeding, severe abdominal pain, or fever in the days after a polypectomy fall outside normal recovery and need prompt assessment.
Because polyps can grow anywhere along the colon, the reach of the scope used to find them matters. Read more on colonoscopy vs sigmoidoscopy to understand why a full colonoscopy is what allows polyps to be found and removed across the entire colon.
Why Choose Dr. Vipulroy Rathod for Polypectomy?
Dr. Vipulroy Rathod has performed polypectomy as part of more than 80,000 endoscopic procedures across over 30 years at Fortis Hospital Mulund, including the large, flat, and difficult polyps that many centres refer onward for surgery. That experience means complex polyps are removed endoscopically where possible, sparing patients an operation, and every specimen is interpreted in context. Physicians from 35 countries have trained under his approach at Fortis.
Book your consultation today with one of India’s most experienced specialists for colonoscopy and polyp removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is the endoscopic removal of a polyp from the colon or stomach during a colonoscopy or endoscopy, using a snare or forceps without any incision.
Most patients recover within a day and resume normal activity the next day. Larger polyp removals may need a few days of dietary caution and rest.
No. It is performed under sedation during colonoscopy, so patients feel nothing during the procedure, with only mild bloating possible afterward.
Removing polyps prevents them from progressing to colorectal cancer, making polypectomy during screening one of the most effective cancer prevention measures.
Reference
- Colonoscopic Polypectomy and Long-Term Prevention of Colorectal Cancer — NCBI/PMC, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3322371/
- Complications of Colonoscopic Polypectomy — NCBI/PMC, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4784999/
