21/09/2026
Understanding MRI signal characteristics is fundamental to accurate musculoskeletal imaging.
This week’s teaching image compares sagittal T1, T2 and STIR sequences of the lumbar spine and demonstrates how the same pathology can appear very differently depending on the sequence.
Key learning points:
T1: fat and normal fatty marrow are bright; CSF is dark — excellent for anatomy and marrow assessment.
T2: fluid and CSF are bright — useful for identifying disc pathology, oedema and neural compression.
STIR: suppresses fat, making bone marrow oedema and fluid particularly conspicuous — highly useful for occult fractures, infection and inflammatory pathology.
Always interpret MRI findings across multiple sequences, rather than relying on a single image.
Why not join the course to learn more:
https://orthopaedicacademy.co.uk/foundation-course-in-musculoskeletal-mri/
