9-Minute Withdrawal Time Improves Adenoma Detection Rate Compared With 6-Minute Withdrawal Time During Colonoscopy

Introduction: Adenoma detection rate (ADR) is a quality metric that has been emphasized by multiple societies as improved ADR leads to reduced interval colorectal cancer (CRC). It is postulated that increased withdrawal time (WT) can lead to higher ADR. Multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were undertaken to evaluate this. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs to analyze the impact of higher WT on ADR during colonoscopy.Methods: The following databases were comprehensively searched through November 8, 2022: Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Only RCTs were eligible for inclusion. We applied the random effects model using the DerSimonian Laird approach and calculated risk ratio (RR) for binary outcomes and mean difference (MD) for continuous outcomes. 95% CI and P values were generated.Results: A total of 3 RCTs with 2159 patients were included of which 1136 patients were included in the 9-minute withdrawal group (9WT) and 1023 patients in the 6-minute withdrawal group (6WT). The mean age range was 53.6 to 56.8 years and the male gender was 50.7%. The overall ADR was significantly higher for 9WT (RR =1.23; 95% CI, 1.09-1.40; P < 0.001). The overall adenoma per colonoscopy (APC) was also higher for the 9WT group (MD: 0.14; 95% CI, 0.04-0.25; P = 0.008).Conclusion: The 9-minute withdrawal time improved ADR and APC compared with the 6-minute withdrawal. Given the high quality evidence, we recommend that clinicians at least perform a 9 minute withdrawal to achieve higher quality metrics including ADR to reduce interval CRC.