Timed colonoscopy withdrawal, a mandatory quality measure in the era of national screening?

Background: A minimum recommended withdrawal time for screening colonoscopy is recommended for by both the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer and European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Aim: To characterize the relationship between endoscopists withdrawal time at colonoscopy and polyp detection in a symptomatic cohort of patients as compared to previously untimed withdrawal.

Methods: Three experienced medical endoscopists prospectively performed 1079 colonoscopies during a 24-month period in an Irish hospital.