Histopathology Evaluation of Cartilage Disease and Repair

Histopathological evaluation of cartilage by standardized methods is the current most accurate means of evaluating disease type and extent within cartilage. Correlations between cartilage histology and biomechanical properties extend histopathology to be a surrogate for biomechanical dysfunction. However, except at arthroplasty, clinical assessment of cartilage degeneration is limited. Imaging methods do not yet have the necessary resolution to evaluate cartilage pathology with accuracy, but recent advances with in vitro cartilage imaging have promise that clinical cartilage imaging useful to reflect cartilage tissue pathology will become available in the foreseeable future.