Colonoscopy and polypectomy in nonhospitalized patients.

To determine whether colonoscopy and polypectomy could be performed safely without admission to the hospital, 594 consecutive procedures were analyzed for complications. Two hundred three patients have had colonoscopy and 132 polypectomies without admission to the hospital and without death. The complication rate was no different in this group than in equivalent patients who were hospitalized for the same procedure.