The time required for a colonoscopy usually varies from fifteen minutes to an hour. If the patient is cooperative during the colonoscopy and no intestinal disease is found, then the colonoscopy will only take about fifteen minutes. However, if the patient is uncooperative and not completely relaxed, this may affect the length of the exam. If the colonoscopy suggests disease, such as colon polyps, then colonoscopic polypectomy may be required, which will take some additional time, and the more polyps there are, the longer it will take, possibly an hour. In addition, if it is a painless colonoscopy, that is, a colonoscopy under general anesthesia, then it will take longer than a normal colonoscopy, which may take more than half an hour or even more than an hour.