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Medial malleolar facet of talus

The medial malleolar facet of the talus is a smooth articular surface located on the medial aspect of the talar body. It articulates with the medial malleolus of the tibia and forms a critical component of the tibiotalar (ankle) joint, contributing to joint congruity and stability.

It is an important landmark in ankle anatomy, trauma assessment, and imaging evaluation of the ankle mortise.

Synonyms

  • Medial articular facet of the talus

  • Medial talar facet for the tibia

Location

  • Situated on the medial surface of the talar body

  • Faces medially and slightly superiorly

  • Opposes the medial malleolus of the tibia

  • Forms part of the medial wall of the ankle mortise

  • Inferior to the tibial plafond and medial malleolus

Anatomical components

  • Hyaline cartilage–covered articular surface

  • Underlying subchondral bone plate

  • Part of the trochlea tali (talar dome complex)

  • Continuous with the superior trochlear surface of the talus

Relations

Medially:

  • Medial malleolus of the tibia

Laterally:

  • Body of the talus

Superiorly:

  • Tibial plafond and medial malleolus

Inferiorly:

  • Talar body and subtalar joint region

Anteriorly:

  • Anterior ankle joint capsule

Posteriorly:

  • Posterior tibiotalar ligaments

X-ray appearance

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

  • Facet: Seen indirectly as part of the talar articular contour

  • Joint space: Uniform and smooth medial tibiotalar joint line

  • Best visualized on: Mortise view where medial joint space is clearly outlined

CT appearance

Non-contrast CT:

  • Facet surface: Smooth, sharply defined cortical articular surface

  • Subchondral bone: Uniform density beneath the cartilage

  • Contour: Clearly demonstrates the medial talar articular geometry

  • Relationship: Precise articulation with the medial malleolus

MRI appearance

T1-weighted images:

  • Subchondral bone: High signal marrow beneath low-signal cortex

  • Articular surface: Thin low-signal line representing cartilage interface

  • Facet contour: Clearly delineated

T2-weighted images:

  • Articular cartilage: Intermediate-to-high signal outlining the facet

  • Joint fluid: High signal adjacent to the articular surface

  • Subchondral bone: Intermediate signal

STIR:

  • Fat suppression: Uniform suppression of marrow fat

  • Facet margins: Well visualized against suppressed marrow

  • Joint fluid: Bright signal outlining the articular surface

Proton density fat-saturated (PD FS):

  • Cartilage surface: Well depicted with high contrast

  • Joint fluid: High signal

  • Subchondral bone plate: Clearly defined

CT VRT 3D image

Medial malleolar facet of talus 3d

MRI image

Medial malleolar facet of talus mri anatomy labelled image-img-00000-00000

MRI image

Medial malleolar facet of talus mri anatomy labelled image-img-00000-00000_00001