Polypectomy With Hot vs Cold Snare in Small Colonic Lesions

Colonoscopy is the technique of choice for the diagnosis and prevention of colorectal cancer (CRC). The identification and extirpation of adenomas decreases the incidence of CRC by up to 76%. More than 70% of the excised lesions are less than 10 mm. There is controversy about the technique to be used (resection with cold vs hot snare) in lesions of 5-9mm. Both use a polypectomy snare. The cold snare cuts by friction, while the hot snare uses electrical current. We propose a multicenter randomized clinical trial comparing both endoscopic techniques. At least 394 injuries per group will be included, randomizing patients to whom a diagnostic colonoscopy is requested for symptoms, screening or revision protocols. Randomization will be performed stratified by center. The primary objective is the proportion of incomplete polypectomies, which will be analyzed centrally from random biopsies of the edges of the lesion. As secondary objectives, we will compare the proportion of immediate and delayed hemorrhagic complications, the evolution of postprocedural abdominal pain and the factors associated with incomplete excision in each group and the factors associated with a failed cold polypectomy. The analysis of the primary objective will be carried out by means of the z test of homogeneity without using the correction of Yates, estimating the confidence interval of the difference between both groups. The analysis will be carried out by intention to treat and per protocol.