If you underwent a colonoscopy, your doctor likely performed a polypectomy and removed your polyp(s) as your large intestine was examined. Most patients go under sedation when this happens and don’t feel pain during the polyp removal or afterward. If a doctor performed a polypectomy, you will need to follow up to find out what type of polyps they removed.

  • Polyp completely removed? The entire polyp will be sent to a pathology laboratory for histology.
  • Polyp cannot be entirely removed? It will typically get biopsied during the colonoscopy, and your doctor will send the tissue to the pathology laboratory to determine the histology.
  • Polyp too large to grasp and remove during a colonoscopy? Although rare, a follow-up colonoscopy or surgery may be required.

Removing the colon polyp can stop the transition to colorectal cancer if it’s done early enough. This is why colorectal cancer screening is so important and why colorectal cancer is considered a preventable disease. After a colonoscopy, the timing of the next colonoscopy depends on the findings.