The Effect of Different Thawing Rates on Cryopreserved Human Iliac Arteries Allograft’s Structural Damage and Mechanical Properties

Table 2

Scoring system used for the morphological analysis of the cryopreserved human iliac arteries allograft.

Score	Morphology
1	Morphologically intact endothelium—putative physiological changes are not reflected in the superficial morphology of endothelial cells
2	Confluent endothelium with structural inhomogeneity—irregularities in the form of individual cells and changes of their membranes are detectable
3	Disruption of intercellular contacts—continuity of endothelial coverage is lost, and endotheliocytes shrink while still adhering to basal membrane
4	Separation of endothelial cells—endotheliocytes separated from the basal lamina. Initially, they protrude by their intercellular edges into the lumen
5	Complete loss of endothelium—denudation of the endothelial covering with the basal lamina exposed
6	Damage of subendothelial layers—the luminal surface is covered only by remnants of basal membrane, and the fiber structure of the lamina fibrosa and the lamina ventricularis may be dissolved