Tissue Injury, Healing, and Pain Practice Test

Osteochondritis dissecans lesions are graded by whether the overlying cartilage remains intact and the fragment stays in place. A grade I lesion is defined by a stable articular surface with surface continuity to the surrounding cartilage. This means there may be underlying subchondral bone changes or a small fissure, but the cartilage surface has not become disrupted or detached and there is no loose fragment. That’s why the best description is a stable lesion with intact surface. The other scenarios imply cartilage loss or a displaced or loose fragment, which correspond to higher grades.