MRI-T1 FAT SUPPRESSED (STIR)

SUMMARY

Fat suppression (or attenuation or saturation) is a tweak performed on many T1 weighted sequences, to suppress the bright signal from fat, performed most commonly in two scenarios:

1. Commonly, after the administration of gadolinium contrast. This has the advantage of making enhancing tissue easier to appreciate

2. If you think that some particular tissue is fatty and want to prove it, showing that it becomes dark on fat suppressed sequences is handy


Image: The above is a T1 fat suppressed axial sequence through the knee.

Reference(s)

Furman, Michael B., and Leland Berkwits. Atlas of Image-Guided Spinal Procedures. Elsevier, Inc, 2017.
Horowitz AL. MRI Physics for Physicians. Springer Science & Business Media. (1989) ISBN:1468403338.
Mangrum W, Christianson K, Duncan S et-al. Duke Review of MRI Principles. Mosby. (2012) ISBN:1455700843.