Product analysis and initial reliability testing of the total mesorectal excision-quality assessment instrument.

Background: Product analysis of rectal cancer resection specimens before specimen fixation may provide an immediate and relevant evaluation of surgical performance. We tested the interrater reliability (IRR) of a product analysis tool called the Total Mesorectal Excision-Quality Assessment Instrument (TME-QA).

Methods: Participants included two gold standard raters, five pathology assistants, and eight pathologists.