Histological outcomes between hot and cold snare polypectomy for small colorectal polyps

BACKGROUND/AIM To compare the complete resection rate of hot and cold snare polypectomy for small colorectal polyps. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 233 consecutive patients with 461 colorectal polyps up to 10 mm in diameter that were treated by hot or cold snare polypectomy between April 2014 and August 2016. Lesions treated by hot snare polypectomy (n = 137) and cold snare polypectomy (n = 324) were compared. The histological complete resection rates were evaluated between the two groups. We analyzed the relationship between factors for complete resection and clinical factors using multivariate analysis. RESULTS There was a significantly higher complete resection rate in hot snare polypectomy than in cold snare polypectomy (70.5% vs. 47.3%; P < 0.001). In the analysis of subgroups categorized according to polyp size, the complete resection rate for hot snare polypectomy was significantly higher than that for cold snare polypectomy among polyps ≥6 mm (69.0% vs. 43.5%; P < 0.001). Among polyps ≤5 mm, no significant difference regarding the complete resection rate was observed between the methods (81.3% vs. 53.4%; P = 0.057). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that using hot snare polypectomy (odds ratio 3.03; P < 0.001), small lesion size (odds ratio 1.57; P = 0.049), and lesion location in the left colon (odds ratio 1.73; P = 0.007) were independent factors for complete resection. CONCLUSION Hot snare polypectomy provides a higher complete resection rate than does cold snare polypectomy for larger (6-10 mm) subcentimeter colorectal polyps.