From January 1980 until December 1990, 1,779 colorectal polyps were resected with a snare endoscopically in a total of 944 patients. Complications occurred in 20 patients (1.12%), in 5 cases thereof with perforation (0.28%) and in 15 cases (0.84%) with bleeding. In 4 cases, bleeding presented as an intraluminal spurting bleeding, in 10 patients as an intraluminal oozing, and in 1 case as an extraluminal bleeding outside the rectal wall. Seventeen complications (0.95%) were treated conservatively. Only in 3 cases (0.17%) a surgical intervention was necessary. In 1 case extraluminal bleeding was controlled by oversewing the bleeding vessel, and in 2 cases with a free perforation a gut resection had to be performed. No patient died.