[Consultation (second opinion on biopsies) as an instrument of quality control in histopathologic diagnosis]

As the whole spectrum of morphological patterns encountered in surgical pathology cannot be, in its entirety, diagnosed correctly by a general pathologist alone, one has to seek consultation for difficult or unusual cases with specialised experts. In the Czech Republic, the consultation practice performed by specialists from different medical institutions is the only way to assess the quality of histopathological diagnostic performance, i.e. it represents an audit system. Audit systems functioning in other countries are described here. A proposal of a standard consultation process as well as problems concerning the financial costs and increased workload of consultants are discussed.