STIR
Read Your Scan Editorial Team·Last updated
Written from published radiology references and reviewed for plain language. Not written or signed by a physician, and not a diagnosis. How we write these pages →
In plain language
An MRI sequence that switches the brightness of fat off so that fluid stands out unmistakably. It is how a radiologist tells swelling inside a bone from the normal fatty marrow around it.
Where you’ll see this
The technique section of spine, joint and bone MRI reports.
Your report may word it “Short tau inversion recovery” or “Fat-suppressed T2”. These mean the same thing.
Questions worth asking your doctor
- Did this scan use the right technique to answer my question?
- Would contrast, or a different sequence, show something this one could not?
- Do I need another scan, or is this one enough?
How the scan was taken
Where this word comes up
See this word on your own scan
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Read Your Scan is informational only — not a medical diagnosis, and not a substitute for a licensed radiologist or your doctor. If you have urgent symptoms, seek care.