Fig. 5

a Total modified Mankin scores for femoral head and acetabulum in control and operated hip joints, 20 weeks after surgery. *p = 0.03. b Safranin O/Fast Green images of the articular cartilage of zones 1 and 4 of the femoral head and acetabulum in control and operated hip joints. Scale bar = 100 μm. c Schematic of the mean modified Mankin scores by joint region in control and operated femoral head and acetabulum, with significant correlations between femoral head zone 2–4 modified Mankin score and acetabulum zone 1, 7 & 8 modified Mankin score identified for control limbs (solid lines --------), between operated limb femoral head zones 3–6 and corresponding acetabulum zone 8 (dotted lines ……), and between zones 3–5 on operated femoral head (dashed lines - - - - -). The region of debrided cartilage on operated femoral head is delineated by dashed lines/dots in zones 3–5. d Modified Mankin scores by femoral head and acetabulum regional zone for control and operated limbs. *Operated different from control