Table 1.

Histological evaluation for osteochondral repair.

Histological score description	Defect only [n =12]	bFGF (−) [n =13]	bFGF (+) [n =13]
(possible score)
Cartilage repair
Cellular morphology (0–4)	0.7 ± 0.9	1.8 ± 0.5	2.6 ± 0.9
Safranin-O staining (0–3)	0.5 ± 0.5	0.5 ± 0.5	1.5 ± 0.7
Surface regularity (0–3)	0.8 ± 0.4	0.8 ± 0.4	1.8 ± 0.6
Structural integrity (0–2)	0.9 ± 0.3	1.1 ± 0.3	1.2 ± 0.4
Thickness (0–2)	0.4 ± 0.5	0.6 ± 0.5	1.1 ± 0.6
Bonding to adjacent cartilage (0–2)	1.4 ± 0.6	1.8 ± 0.4	1.3 ± 0.6
Hypocellularity (0–3)	0.4 ± 0.5	0.8 ± 0.4	1.0 ± 0.4
Chondrocyte clustering (0–2)	1.9 ± 0.3	1.9 ± 0.3	1.9 ± 0.3
Freedom from degeneration
of adjacent cartilage (0–3)	1.8 ± 0.6	1.8 ± 0.4	2.1 ± 0.5
Subtotal score (Cartilage; 0–24)	8.8 ± 2.6	* 11.2 ± 1.5	**† 14.5 ± 2.6
Subchondral bone repair
Subchondral bone alignment (0–2)	1.3 ± 0.4	0.0 ± 0.0	0.0 ± 0.0
Bone integration (0–2)	1.2 ± 0.4	0.0 ± 0.0	0.0 ± 0.0
Bone infiltration into defect area (0–2)	1.9 ± 0.3	0.7 ± 0.5	0.8 ± 0.4
Tidemark continuity (0–2)	0.0 ± 0.0	0.0 ± 0.0	0.0 ± 0.0
Cellular morphology (0–2)	1.5 ± 0.5	0.0 ± 0.0	0.0 ± 0.0
Exposure of subchondral bone (0–2)	1.8 ± 0.4	2.0 ± 0.0	2.0 ± 0.0
Subtotal score (Subchondral bone; 0–12)	7.6 ± 1.1	** 2.7 ± 0.5	** 2.8 ± 0.4
Total Score (0–36)	16.3 ± 3.5	13.9 ± 1.5	† 17.3 ± 2.6

Data were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01 compared with the defect-only group; † p < 0.01 compared with the bFGF (−) group. bFGF, basic fibroblast growth factor.