INTRODUCTION: In 2002, the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer recommended that the withdrawal phase during colonoscopy should average at least 6-10 min to improve the detecting ratio of polyps. However, these recommendations were based on previous studies with a high colorectal cancer-risk population. The aim of our study is to determine if the implementation of a policy of colonoscopy withdrawal time > or = 6 minutes would be statistically associated with an increase in the colon polyp detection rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the procedural data from all total colonoscopies performed at our general hospital from January 2006 through July 2009. Since January 2008 we implemented the policy of withdrawal time > or = 6 minutes. We calculated the detection rate and compared data from these period with our baseline consisted of the two years previous period in which withdrawal time was not aware. RESULTS: We reviewed procedural data from 2004 colonoscopies performed from January 2006 through July 2009; 1042 from the > or = 6 minutes-withdrawal time implementation period and 962 from the two years previous period. We found 162 patients with at least one polyp detected during the > or = 6 minutes-withdrawal time implementation period whereas 144 patients were detected from our baseline. The polyp detection rate was 15.55% from the period with a withdrawal time of e6 minutes versus 16.17 and 15.84% from each year of our baseline. No significant increase (p = 0.955) in the polyp detection rate was detected between the two comparative groups. CONCLUSION: The implementation of a policy of colonoscopy withdrawal time e6 minutes had no effect on colon polyp detection.