Premium
Variations in histopathological evaluation of nonneoplastic colonic mucosal abnormalities; assessment and clinical significance
Author(s) -
GIARD R. W. M.,
HERMANS J.,
RUITER D. J.,
HOEDEMAEKER Ph. J.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2559.1985.tb02834.x
Subject(s) - mucus , medicine , pathology , crypt , kappa , statistical analysis , clinical significance , gastroenterology , biology , statistics , ecology , linguistics , philosophy , mathematics
The variation between three pathologists examining histological features seen in non‐neoplastic colonic mucosa from 40 biopsies was analysed. Several procedures to express observer variation were used and compared, with emphasis on kappa statistics. Only five features, the presence of ulceration, villous surface, epithelioid granulomas, severe mucus depletion and crypt abscesses were sufficiently reproducible by the three pairs of pathologists. These findings suggest that other criteria used for the classification of inflammatory bowel disease are potentially unsatisfactory. When results from different studies on biopsies are being compared, influence of observer variation should be identified. Comparison of statistical techniques showed overall variation to be less useful than other statistical procedures. There was little difference between results from kappa statistics and other measures of agreement (overall agreement excluded).