[Articular cartilage MRI: Update].

To evaluate the articular cartilage by MRI, there are two categories; delineating the cartilaginous morphology and estimating the cartilaginous internal content. The morphology delineation requires high spatial resolution with high contrast resolution between the cartilage surface and the surrounding synovial fluid. Precise section settings are mandatory. The quality assessment of the cartilage includes T2 mapping, T1 mapping (dGEMRIC), T2* mapping, T1ρ mapping, and the chemical exchange saturation transfer(CEST). T2 mapping is the most prevalent technique, however, it represents the collagen fibers and the internal water. T1ρ mapping and CEST techniques are seemed to detect the glycosaminoglycan content of the cartilage.