Assessment of articular cartilage of ankle joint in stable and unstable unilateral weber type-B/SER-type ankle fractures shortly after trauma using T2 relaxation time.

Lower T2 relaxation times of tibial cartilage in fractured ankles suggest intact extra cellular matrix (ECM) of the cartilage. Severity of the ankle fracture, measured by ankle stability, does not seem to increase ECM degradation immediately after trauma.