Table 4.
Histological grading scale for cartilage repair
| Category | Points |
|---|---|
| Cell morphology | |
| Hyaline cartilage | 0 |
| Mostly hyaline cartilage | 1 |
| Mostly fibrocartilage | 2 |
| Mostly non-cartilage | 3 |
| Non-cartilage only | 4 |
| Matrix-staining (metachromasia) | |
| Normal (compared with host adjacent cartilage) | 0 |
| Slightly reduced | 1 |
| Markedly reduced | 2 |
| No metachromatic stain | 3 |
| Surface regularity | |
| Smooth (> 3/4) | 0 |
| Moderate (> 1/2–3/4) | 1 |
| Irregular (1/4–1/2) | 2 |
| Severely irregular (< 1/4) | 3 |
| Thickness of cartilage | |
| > 2/3 | 0 |
| 1/3–1/2 | 1 |
| < 1/3 | 2 |
| Integration of donor with host adjacent cartilage | |
| Both edges integrated | 0 |
| One edge integrated | 1 |
| Neither edge integrated | 2 |
| Total maximum | 14 |