Low power view of articular cartilage in osteoarthritis

Low power view of articular cartilage in osteoarthritis •A low power view of an articular surface. •The black arrows trace the junction between the articular cartilage below and bone above. •The green arrows point to chondrocytes within the articular cartilage. •The bright yellow arrow towards the left top of the screen points to one edge of an area in which the articular cartilage has sloughed off of bone, exposing it to the joint space. •Notice the fragmented pieces of cartilage still adhering to the bone at this spot. •The horizontal and vertical fissuring ultimately leading to sloughing off of cartilage are typical features of degenerative joint disease. (Description By:T.V.Rajan, M.D. ) (Image Contrib. by:T.V.Rajan, M.D. UCHC )