Table 1.

Effect of in vivo allograft storage on gross- and histopathology-scores.

MFC & LT	Non-OP	FROZEN	FRESH	4°C/14d	4°C/28d
n	15	7	7	8	8
Gross a	0.3 ± 0.1 ***	7.4 ± 0.7	3.9 ± 0.7**,###	3.3 ± 0.5***,###	4.4 ± 0.7*,###
Surface Texture	0.3 ± 0.1***	2.4 ± 0.3	1.1 ± 0.3**,###	1.1 ± 0.2*,###	1.5 ± 0.3###
Defect Filling/Size	0.0 ± 0.0***	2.4 ± 0.4	1.0 ± 0.3*,###	0.4 ± 0.2***,#	0.8 ± 0.3*,###
Cartilage Integration	0.0 ± 0.0***	2.6 ± 0.2	1.9 ± 0.2*,###	1.8 ± 0.2**,###	2.1 ± 0.2###
Histopathology b	3.4 ± 0.4 ***	12.1 ± 0.7	4.4 ± 1.2 ***	5.4 ± 0.4*,#	6.1 ± 0.7*,##
Surface Irregularity	0.7 ± 0.1**	1.7 ± 0.1	0.6 ± 0.3**	1.1 ± 0.2	1.3 ± 0.3
Vertical Clefts	0.4 ± 0.1*	1.3 ± 0.3	0.5 ± 0.3	0.3 ± 0.1**	0.5 ± 0.3
Transverse Clefts	0.4 ± 0.1*	1.1 ± 0.3	0.3 ± 0.2	0.3 ± 0.1**	0.4 ± 0.2
Cloning	0.1 ± 0.1***	2.0 ± 0.2	1.6 ± 0.3##	1.3 ± 0.2##	1.2 ± 0.2#
Hypocellularity	0.3 ± 0.1***	3.0 ± 0.0	0.3 ± 0.1***	1.3 ± 0.2**,$$$,###	1.2 ± 0.2**,$$$,###
Safranin-O	1.1 ± 0.2***	3.0 ± 0.0	1.1 ± 0.3***	1.3 ± 0.3**	1.6 ± 0.3*

See Appendix Table 1 for scores at MFC and LT sites.

^aGross-score (0-9) was determined by assigning a score of 0-3 (with 0 representing normal, and 3 representing severe degeneration) for the following gross morphological characteristics: surface texture, defect filling/size, and graft-recipient cartilage integration.¹³

^bHistopathology-score (0-15) was determined by assigning a score of 0-2 or 0-3 (with 0 representing normal, and 2 or 3 representing severe degeneration) for the following histologic characteristics: surface irregularity (0-2), vertical clefts into the transitional or radial zone (0-2), transverse clefts (0-2), cloning, (0-3), hypocellularity (0-3), and Safranin-O staining (0-3).³⁸

^*p<0.05

^**p<0.01

^***p<0.001 vs. FROZEN

^#p<0.05

^##p<0.01

^###p<0.001 vs. Non-OP

^$p<0.05

^$$p<0.01

^$$$p<0.001 vs. FRESH