Pore size distribution of cartilage and its dependence on injuries are not fully known. This situation hinders development of novel contrast agents for diagnostics of joint conditions. In order to design such contrast agents, the variation in cartilage porosity under different injures need to be known. Characterization of cartilage porosity is complicated because the tissue has a complex structure and it does not withstand drying necessary for conventional porosity measurements. Thus, no direct method to determine the pore size distribution of cartilage has been introduced so far. In this work, we reveal the possibility of using thermoporometry (TPM) to determine pore size distribution of cartilage [1]. TPM is based on differential scanning calorimetry measurements (DSC). The DSC melting profiles of intact and degraded cartilage samples immersed in 4.5% NaCl solution exhibit the additional shoulder in the peak attributed to hydrohalite melting inside the cartilage pores. The presence of the shoulder enables characterisation of the tissue porosity. Based on NaCl-TPM measurements, degradation of cartilage increased its pore diameter. Broad pore size distribution profiles (PSD) reflect non-homogenous pores in cartilage and correspond to PSD reported by Fathima at el. for collagen fibers [2]. Fig. 1. DSC profiles of intact and degraded cartilage immersed in 4.5% NaCl solution illustrating hydrohalite melting; PSD profiles derived from NaCl-TPM experiments.