Nature of predominant tissue |
|
Cell morphology |
|
Hyaline cartilage |
4 |
Incompletely differentiated mesenchyme |
2 |
Fibrous tissue or bone |
0 |
Safranin O staining of the matrix |
|
Normal or nearly normal |
3 |
Moderate |
2 |
Slight |
1 |
None |
0 |
Structural characteristics |
|
Surface regularity |
|
Smooth and intact |
3 |
Superficial horizontal lamination |
2 |
Fissure 25–100% of the thickness |
1 |
Severe disruption |
0 |
Structural integrity |
|
Normal |
2 |
Slight disruption, including cysts |
1 |
Severe disintegration |
0 |
Thickness |
|
100% of normal adjacent cartilage |
2 |
50–100% of normal cartilage |
1 |
0–50% of normal cartilage |
0 |
Bonding to adjacent cartilage |
|
Bonded at both ends of graft |
2 |
Bonded at one end or partially at both ends |
1 |
Not bonded |
0 |
Freedom from cellular changes of degeneration |
|
Hypocellularity |
|
Normal |
3 |
Slight |
2 |
Moderate |
1 |
Severe |
0 |
Chondrocyte clustering |
|
No clusters |
2 |
<25% of the cells |
1 |
25–100% of the cells |
0 |
Freedom from degeneration changes in adjacent cartilage |
|
Normal cellularity, no clusters, normal staining |
3 |
Normal cellularity, mild clusters, moderate staining |
2 |
Mild or moderate hypocellularity, slight staining |
1 |
Severe hypocellularity, poor or no staining |
0 |