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Topic

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Articular facet of medial malleolus

The articular facet of the medial malleolus is the smooth, hyaline cartilage–covered surface on the medial malleolus of the tibia that articulates with the medial surface of the talus. It forms an essential component of the ankle (tibiotalar) joint, contributing to joint congruity, stability, and smooth motion.

It is a key structure in ankle anatomy, imaging, and surgical evaluation, especially in the context of trauma and degenerative joint assessment.

Synonyms

  • Medial malleolar articular surface

  • Tibial medial malleolar facet

Location

  • Situated on the lateral aspect of the medial malleolus

  • Forms the medial articular surface of the ankle mortise

  • Opposes the medial talar articular surface

  • Inferior to the tibial plafond

  • Medial to the talar dome

Anatomical components

  • Hyaline cartilage–covered bony surface

  • Subchondral bone plate

  • Margins blending with the tibial plafond superiorly

  • Continuous inferiorly with the talar articulation zone

Relations

Anteriorly:

  • Anterior tibiotalar joint capsule

Posteriorly:

  • Posterior tibiotalar ligament and capsule

Medially:

  • Cortical bone of the medial malleolus

Laterally:

  • Medial articular surface of the talus

Inferiorly:

  • Medial talar body

Superiorly:

  • Tibial plafond

X-ray appearance

Plain radiographs (AP, mortise, and lateral ankle views):

  • Articular facet: Appears as a smooth, curved radiopaque cortical margin

  • Joint space: Even and uniform between tibia and talus

  • Best seen on: Mortise view for precise visualization of the medial ankle joint

CT appearance

Non-contrast CT:

  • Articular surface: Smooth, sharply defined cortical margin

  • Subchondral bone: Dense and uniform

  • Joint congruity: Clearly demonstrated

  • Excellent for assessing surface contour and alignment

MRI appearance

T1-weighted images:

  • Articular cartilage: Intermediate signal intensity

  • Subchondral bone: Low signal cortex with high-signal marrow beneath

  • Facet contour: Well delineated

T2-weighted images:

  • Articular cartilage: Intermediate-to-slightly high signal

  • Joint fluid: High signal outlining the facet

  • Subchondral bone: Low signal

STIR:

  • Fat suppression: Suppresses marrow fat signal

  • Facet margins: Clearly visualized

  • Joint space: High-signal fluid contrast

Proton density fat-saturated (PD FS):

  • Articular cartilage: Well seen as intermediate signal layer

  • Joint fluid: Bright signal

  • Subchondral bone: Low signal

  • Excellent contrast for cartilage–bone interface

CT VRT 3D image

Articular facet of medial malleolus 3d

MRI image

Articular facet of medial malleolus mri anatomy labelled image-img-00000-00000

CT image

Articular facet of medial malleolus ct