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Medial tubercle of talus

The medial tubercle of the talus is a bony prominence forming the medial part of the posterior process of the talus. It serves as an important anatomical landmark at the posterior aspect of the ankle and contributes to the attachment of ligaments and the formation of the groove for the flexor hallucis longus tendon.

It is clinically significant in ankle biomechanics, posterior ankle anatomy, and imaging interpretation.

Synonyms

  • Medial tubercle of the posterior talar process

  • Posteromedial tubercle of the talus

Location

  • Situated on the posterior aspect of the talus

  • Forms the medial component of the posterior talar process

  • Medial to the groove for the flexor hallucis longus (FHL) tendon

  • Inferior and posterior to the talar dome

  • Superior to the calcaneus

Anatomical components

  • Osseous projection of the talus

  • Cortical shell with underlying cancellous bone

  • Adjacent groove:

    • Groove for the flexor hallucis longus tendon

  • Ligament attachment area:

    • Posterior talotibial component of the deltoid ligament

    • Posterior tibiotalar ligament fibers

Relations

Anteriorly:

  • Posterior aspect of the talar body

Posteriorly:

  • Posterior ankle soft tissues

  • Posterior capsule of the ankle joint

Medially:

  • Deltoid ligament complex

Laterally:

  • Lateral tubercle of the talus

  • Groove for the flexor hallucis longus tendon

Inferiorly:

  • Posterior facet of the calcaneus (subtalar joint)

Superiorly:

  • Talar dome

X-ray appearance

Plain radiographs (lateral and oblique ankle views):

  • Medial tubercle: Small bony projection at the posterior talus

  • Best visualized on: Lateral ankle views

  • Contour: Smooth and well-defined

  • Relationship: Seen posterior to the talar body

CT appearance

Non-contrast CT:

  • Medial tubercle: Clearly defined osseous prominence of the posterior talus

  • Cortical margins: Smooth and sharply outlined

  • Trabecular pattern: Normal cancellous bone

  • Anatomic detail: Excellent depiction of size, shape, and relation to FHL groove

MRI appearance

T1-weighted images:

  • Cortical bone: Low signal intensity

  • Marrow within tubercle: High signal intensity

  • Margins: Clearly delineated from surrounding soft tissues

T2-weighted images:

  • Cortex: Low signal

  • Adjacent joint fluid: High signal outlining posterior talus

  • FHL tendon: Low-signal linear structure lateral to the tubercle

STIR:

  • Marrow fat suppression: Uniform signal

  • Tubercle margins: Well visualized

  • Surrounding tendons and joint fluid: Bright signal

Proton density fat-saturated (PD FS):

  • Bone marrow: Suppressed fat signal

  • Joint fluid: High signal

  • FHL tendon: Clearly visualized adjacent to the tubercle

CT VRT 3D image

Medial tubercle of talus 3d

MRI image

Medial tubercle of talus mri anatomy labelled image-img-00000-00000

MRI image

Medial tubercle of talus mri anatomy labelled image-img-00000-00000_00001