Semiquantitative analysis of rabbit knee articular surfaces based on stereomicroscopic examination of the cartilage.

A semiquantitative stereomicroscopic method was devised in order to examine rabbit knee articular surfaces. With the aid of a drawing tube mounted on a stereomicroscope, enlarged pictures (magnification of X 14-19) of ink-stained or SEM specimens of joint surfaces were drawn and the structural details classified. The point-counting method or a computer-coupled analyzer was used to analyze the pictures. The data thus obtained underwent statistical evaluation. The method proved to be very useful for the quantitation of experimentally induced changes on cartilage surfaces.