Stable: Meaning in a Radiology Report

Stable

Also written as: unchanged, stable in size, no significant change, grossly stable

Stable means a finding looks the same as on an earlier scan. Staying unchanged over time is often a reassuring sign.

Seen on: Any scan

How it reads in a report

The 5 mm solid nodule in the left lower lobe has been stable for more than 2 years, consistent with a benign nodule.

What it means

Radiologists compare new images with older ones whenever they can. Stable means the finding has not changed in a way that matters: same size, same shape, same appearance. It does not say what the finding is. Measurements can differ by a millimeter or so between scans. So a finding can still be stable despite a tiny difference in the numbers.

When it matters

Stability over time is one of the strongest signs that a finding is harmless, because most cancers grow. How long counts depends on the finding: about two years for a solid lung nodule, and up to five years for faint, hazy ones. If you are being treated for cancer, stable usually means the disease has neither grown nor shrunk enough to count as a change.

Questions to ask your doctor

How long has this finding been stable, and is that long enough?
Do I still need follow-up scans, or can they stop?
Was it compared with my oldest available scan?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.