Prevalence of advanced adenomas in diminutive and small polyps in a large Austrian screening colonoscopy cohort

Background: The “diagnose and discard” strategy is widely discussed as alternative to histology, for the distinction between advanced adenomas and hyperplastic polyps – especially in small lesions. Aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of polyps with advanced histologic features in a large Austrian database of screening colonoscopies. Methods: Data from 45392 screening colonoscopies between November 2009 and February 2012 were analyzed. Results: Suspicious lesions were found in 16701 (36.8%) endoscopies. Diminutive (