A good gross description has the following qualities:
- Concise language. The description must be succinct and precise.
- Good organization. Description order rules should be followed, including all the required components.
- Adequate dissection. A specimen cannot be described accurately until it has been completely dissected, examined, and measured.
- Standardization. Standardization minimizes the risk of omitting important information. Creative dictations should be reserved for very unusual or complicated specimens.
- Diagrams. Diagrams and digital photographs for mapping complex surgical specimens support gross descriptions. They are also helpful in showing the site of tissue blocks. The technique of gross photography specimen mapping for tumor resections was developed for quantitative analysis of the percentage of tumor necrosis following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
