Outerbridge classification
Trauma and orthopaedics
Also known as: Outerbridge-Klassifikation (Knorpelschaden) · Outerbridge sınıflaması (kıkırdak hasarı) · Outerbridge classification (chondral lesions)
What it is for
Arthroscopic grading of articular cartilage damage, first described for chondromalacia of the patella.
Classification
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Grade 0 | normal cartilage. |
| Grade I | softening and swelling of the cartilage (often felt only with a probe). |
| Grade II | fragmentation and fissuring in an area half an inch (about 1.3 cm) in diameter or less, not reaching subchondral bone. |
| Grade III | fragmentation and fissuring in an area larger than half an inch, down to the subchondral bone. |
| Grade IV | erosion of cartilage with exposed subchondral bone. |
| Note | The International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grading uses lesion depth instead of size; the two are often confused. |
Source
The etiology of chondromalacia patellae
J Bone Joint Surg Br 1961;43-B:752–757 (Outerbridge RE)
DOI: 10.1302/0301-620X.43B4.752
PMID: 14038135
- Edition
- Outerbridge 1961 (patella; later applied to the whole knee and other joints); an MRI-modified Outerbridge grading also exists
- Checked on
Summary of the published classification in our own words. Not a substitute for the original publication.
A question about this classification?
Medelix answers clinical questions from guidelines and studies – every statement with its source.