Medical Words & Phrases

An abbreviation (from Latin brevis, meaning short) is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. ... It may also consist of initials only, a mixture of initials and words, or words or letters representing words in another language (for example, e.g., i.e. or RSVP)  

A

• AAA - Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm not American Automobile Association
• AB - Antibody or Abdomen not At Bat
• AC - Acromioclavicular not Alternating Current
• ACL - Anterior Cruciate Ligament not Access Control List
• A Fib - Atrial Fibrillation not Air Force
• AMI - Acute Myocardial Infarction ("heart attack") not Average Median Income

B

• BBB - Bundle Branch Block not Better Business Bureau
• BCC - Basal Cell Carcinoma not Blind Carbon Copy
• BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate not Below Market Rate
• BS - Blood Sugar or Breath Sounds not BullS***
• BSAER - Brain Stem Auditory Evoked Response
• Bx - Biopsy not Box

C

• CA - Cancer or Coronary Artery or Carotid Artery not Circa or California or Canada 
• CAD - Coronary Artery Disease not Computer Aided Design
• CASHD - Coronary Atherosclerotic Heart Disease
• CD - Chest Discomfort not Certificate of Deposit 
• CF - Cystic Fibrosis not Compact Flash
• CICU - Cardiac Intensive Care Unit not Can I Call You?
• CN - Cranial Nerve not Canadian National
• CP - Chest Pain or Cerebral Palsy not Central Processor
• CRF - Chronic Renal Failure not Container Recycling Fee
• CTA - Computed Tomography Angiography not Chicago Transit Authority
• CX - Circumflex or Cervix not Crypto Currency
• CXR - Chest X-Ray not Cox Radio

D

• DM - Diabetes Mellitus not Direct Mail
• DOE - Dyspnea On Exertion not Department of Education or Depends On Experience
• DOI - Date Of Injury not Department Of the Interior
• DOS - Date Of Service not Denial of Service
• DZ - Disease not Dozen

E

• EC - Enteric Coated not Ecuador
• EF - Ejection Fraction not Electric Field
• eGFR - Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate
• ESR - Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate not Extended Support Release
• EST - Exercise Stress Test not Estimate
• ESWL - Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy not Equivalent Single Wheel Load
• ET - Essential Tremor not Extra Terrestrial

F

• FOBT - Fecal Occult Blood Test not Free On Board at Terminal
• FP - Family Practitioner not Floating Point
• FTT - Failure To Thrive not First Tier Tribunal
• F/U - Follow-Up not Foul Up
• FX - Fracture not Foreign eXchange

G

• GB - Gall Bladder not not GigaByte
• GYN - Gynecology not Global Youth Networking

H

• HA - Headache not Hells Angels
• HHC - Home Health Care not Highly Hazardous Chemicals
• HMG CoA - HydroxyMethylGlutaryl-CoA 
• HPF - High Power Field not High Pass Filter 
• HPI - History of Present Illness not Human Poverty Index
• HTN - Hypertension not Hack The North
• Hx - History not Heat eXchanger

I

• IBBB - Incomplete Bundle Branch Block 
• IMA - Inferior Mesenteric Artery not Institute of Management Accountants
• IMP. - Impression not "a mischievous person" or Insane Mom Posse
• IOL - IntraOcular Lens not Inventory Of Losses
• IOP - IntraOcular Pressure not Institute Of Physics
• IP - InPatient not Internet Protocol
• IPPV - Intermittent Positive Pressure Ventilation not Impulse Pay Per View
• IVC - Inferior Vena Cava not Inlet Valve Closing
• IVF - IntraVenous Fluids or In Vitro Fertilization not India Value Fund

J

• JT - JoinT not Justin Timberlake or James Taylor

K

• KC - KiloCalorie not Kennel Club
• KG - KiloGram not King George

L

• LA - Left Atrium not Los Angeles
• LAFB - Left Anterior Fascicle Block not Laughlin Air Force Base
• LB - Pound not Line Backer
• LBBB - Left Bundle Branch Block not Let Bygones Be Bygones
• LBO - Large Bowel Obstruction not Leveraged Buy Out
• LBP - Low Back Pain not LittleBigPlanet (game) 
• LCL - Lateral Collateral Ligament not Lower Confidence Limit
• LGL -  Lown-Ganong-Levine syndrome not Legal
• Li - Lithium not Long Island
• LLL - Left Lower Lobe not Live Laugh Love
• LMCA - Left Main Coronary Artery not Louisiana Mosquito Control Association
• LUL - Left Upper Lobe not Laughing Ultra Loud

M

• MH - Medical History not "Must Have"
• MM - MilliMeter not Multi-Media
• MS - Mitral Stenosis or Multiple Sclerosis not MicroSoft
• MVP - Mitral Valve Prolapse not Most Valuable Player
• MVR - Mitral Valve Replacement not Motor Vehicle Record

N

• NA - Sodium (Natrium) not Not Available or Not Applicable
• NSR - Normal Sinus Rhythm or No Sign of Recurrence not New Source Review 
• N/V - Nausea and Vomiting not NeVada

O

• OA - Osteoarthritis not Open Access
• OP - OutPatient not Office Products
• OSA - Obstructive Sleep Apnea not Open System Architecture

P

• P - Pulse not Pressure
• PCA - Patient Controlled Analgesia or Percutaneous Coronary Angioplasty not Printed Circuit Assembly
• PDA - Posterior Descending Artery not Personal Digital Assistant
• PF - Pulmonary Fibrosis not Printer Friendly
• PH - Pulmonary Hypertension not Pent House
• PICU - Pediatric or Pulmonary Intensive Care Unit
• PLT - Platelets not Platoon 
• PT - PaTient or Prothrombin Time not Part Time 
• PUD - Peptic Ulcer Disease not a body part or Planned Unit Development

Q

• QC - Quality of Care not Quick Connect
• QD - Once Daily not Quantity Demanded
• QHS - Once daily before bed not Queens Historical Society
• QID - four times a day not Quad Information Display
• QPM - Once each evening not Quality Protein Maize
• QS - Quantity Sufficient not Quantity Surveyor

R

• RBBB - Right Bundle Branch Block not Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus
• RDA - Recommended Daily Allowance not Regional Development Agency
• RFA - Radio Frequency Ablation not Request For Applications
• RH - Rheumatology not Relative Humidity
• RI - Respiratory Infection or Illness not Rhode Island
• RLL - Right Lower Lobe not Run Length Limited
• RML - Right Middle Lobe not Read My Lips
• R/O - Rule Out not ROmanian
• ROM - Range Of Motion not Read Only Memory
• RT - Respiratory Therapy or Radiation Therapy not Real Time
• RUL - Right Upper Lobe not RULing
• RV - Right Ventricle not Recreational Vehicle
• RX - Prescription not Receive

S

• SBO - Small Bowel Obstruction not Small Business Office
• SC - SubCutaneous not South Carolina
• SCC - Squamous Cell Carcinoma not Supreme Court of Canada
• SCD - Sickle Cell Disease not Something Completely Different
• SI - SacroIliac not Silicon
• SLE - Systemic Lupus Erythematosus not Structured Learning Experience
• SQ - Subcutaneous not Status Quo
• SS - Sjogren's Syndrome not ShortStop
• SVC - Superior Vena Cava not SerViCe
• SubQ - Subcutaneous 
• SMA - Superior Mesenteric Artery not Simple Moving Average
• SX - Symptom or Surgery not Supercross
• SZ - Seizure or Schizophrenia not Swaziland

T

• T - Temperature not Testosterone
• TG - Triglycerides not Thank God
• TID - three times a day not Transportation Improvement Districts
• TMST - TreadMill Stress Test not Too Much Spare Time
• TEE - TransEsophageal Echocardiogram not Total Energy Expenditure
• TTE - TransThoracic Echocardiogram not Toyota Team Europe
• TX - Treatment not TeXas

U

• UA - Urinalysis not United Airlines
• US - UltraSound not United States

V

• V Fib - Ventricular Fibrillation
• V Tach - Ventricular Tachycardia
• VV - Varicose Veins not Vroom Vroom
• VSS - Vital Signs Stable not Virtual Surround Sound

W

• W/ - With or Well not Water
• W/O - WithOut not Written Off
• WDWN - Well Developed Well Nourished
• WSR - Westergren Sedimentation Rate not Weekly Status Report
• WT - Weight not WarranT
• W/U - WorkUp not With YoU

X

• XRT - X-Ray Therapy not X-Ray Telescope 

An Acronym  is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word (e.g. ASCII, NASA ).

• ACE - Angiotensin Converting Enzyme not Acetate
• AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome not As If Doing Something
• CABG ("cabbage") - Coronary Artery Bypass Graft not a vegetable
• CAT: Computerized Axial Tomography (scan) not a pet
• CHAMPUS - Civilian Health And Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (now TRICARE)
• CHAMPVA ("champ-vuh") - Civilian Health And Medical Program of the Veteran's Administration
• CHIP - Children's Health Insurance Program not a snack
• COBRA Insurance - Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act not a snake
• ECHO - ECHOcardiogram  not Exploring Cultural Heritage Online
• ELISA - Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay not Export LIcense Status Advisor
• EMTALA ("em-taw-lah") - Emergency Medical Treatment And Labor Act 
• ERISA ("uh-riss-uh") - Employee Retirement Income Security Act not Every Rotten Idea Since Adam
• GERD - GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease not Gross Expenditure On Research and Development
• GOMER - Get Out Of My Emergency Room not Gomer Pyle
• HCFA ("hick-fuh") - Health Care Financing Administration (now CMS - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) not Here Comes Further Aggravation
• HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("medical privacy act") not Healthcare Insane Politically Arcane Act
• LAP - Leukocyte Alkaline Phosphatase or LAParotomy not Local Area Plan
• MICU - Medical Intensive Care Unit not Montreal Island Citizens Union
• MRSA ("mer-zuh")- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus 
• MUGA ("mug-uh") - MUltiGAted Radionuclide Angiography Heart Scan not Multi Use Games Area
• NICU ("nick-u") - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit not North Island Credit Union
• PAP - PAPanicolaou test or smear, or Positive Airway Pressure, or Prostatic Acid Phosphatase or Patient Assistance Program not Password Authentication Protocol
• PEG - Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrotomy not polyethylene glycol
• PUVA - Psoralen and UltraViolet A 
• SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder but also sad 
• SARS - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome not Single And Really Sexy
• SICU - Surgical Intensive Care Unit not Special Investigation Control Unit
• STEMI ("Stem-ee") - ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction 
• TDaP - Tetanus Diphtheria And Pertussis Vaccine not Total Distribution Action Plan

COMMON/ANTIQUATED{A} & SCIENTIFIC NAMES 

A

• Ablepsy for blindness {A}
• Achilles tendon for calcaneal tendon
• Adam's apple for thyroid cartilage
• Ague for flu-like symptoms from malaria {A}
• Ankle bone for malleolus
• Antecubital fossa
• Apoplexy for blinness {A}
• Armpit for axilla
• Athletes foot for tinea pedis

B

• Baldness for alopecia
• Barrel fever for alcoholism {A}
• Belly for abdomen
• Belly button for umbilicus
• Big toe for great toe or hallux
• Biliousness for jaundice {A}
• Black dog for depression {A}
• Black stools (blood) for melena
• Blood in semen for hemospermia
• Blood in stool for hematochezia
• Blood in urine for hematuria
• Blood in vomit for hematemesis
• Blood poisoning for sepsis or septicemia {A}
• Boil for furuncle
• Breakbone fever for dengue {A}
• Breastbone for sternum
• Bright's disease for glomeruloneph {A}ritis
• Bronze John for yellow fever
• Bunion for hallux valgus
• Butt crack for Intergluteal cleft
• Buttock for gluteus

C

• Calf muscle for gastrocnemius
• Camp fever for typhus {A}
• Chalkstones for swelling/pain with RA or gout {A}
• Change of life for menopause {A}
• Cheekbone for zygomatic arch
• Chicken pox for varicella
• Chilblain for malaria
• Chin for mental protuberance
• Chlorosis for iron deficiency anemia
• Cold sore for herpes simplex
• Collarbone for clavicle
• Color blind for achromatopsia
• Common cold for coronavirus or coryza
• Congestive fever for malaria {A}
• Consumption for tuberculosis {A}
• Crook of the elbow for antecubital fossa
• Crook of the knee for popliteal fossa
• Crossed eyes for esotropia

D

• Domestic malady for depression or emotional breakdown {A}
• Double personality for manic depressive {A}
• Down syndrome for trisomy 21
• Dropsy or swelling for edema  {A}
• Dropsy of the brain for encephalitis {A}
• Dry mouth for xerostomia

E

• Earlobe for lobulus auriculae
• Elbow for olecranon
• External ear for pinna
• Eye socket for orbit
• Eyebrow for supercilium

F

• Falling sickness for epilepsy {A}
• Farsightedness for hyperopia
• Flat feet for pes planus
• French pox for syphilis {A}
• Frigid for low sex drive {A}

G

• Gall stones for cholelithiasis
• German measles for rubella
• Green sickness or fever for anemia {A}
• Grip/Gripe/Grippe for influenza/flu {A}

H

• Heart attack for myocardial infarction
• Heart (chest) pain for angina pectoris
• Heel bone for calcaneus
• Hives for urticaria
• Hyperglycemia for high blood sugar

I

• Idiot savant for dwevelopmentally delayed and exceptionally talented {A}
• Impotence for erectile dysfunction
• Ingrown toenail for onychocryptosis
• Itchy bottom for pruritus ani

J

• Jail fever for typhus {A}
• Jaw for mandible
• Jaw joint for temperomandibular joint
• Jock itch for tinea cruris

K

• Kidney infection for pyelonephritis
• Kidney stones for nephrolithiasis
• Kneecap for patella

L

• Large intestine for colon
• Lazy eye for amblyopia
• Leprosy for Hansen's disease {A}
• Lockjaw for tetanus
• Low blood sugar for hypoglycemia
• Lumbago for back pain {A}

M

• Mad cow disease for Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease {A}
• Malnutrition for cachexia
• Manic depressive illness for bipolar disorder
• Melancholia for depression {A}
• Middle ear infection for otitis media
• Mono or kissing disease for mononucleosis
• Mortification for gangrene {A}
• Mumps for parotitis

N

• Near sighted for myopia
• Night blindness for nyctalopia
• Nose for proboscis
• Nose bleed for epistaxis

O

• Overactive thyroid for hyperthyroid

P

• Palsy for tremors/paralysis of muscles {A}
• Pernicious anemia for B12 deficiency anemia
• Piles for hemorrhoids
• Plague for black death
• Podagra for gout

Q

• Quincy or quinsy for tonsillitis {A}

R

• Rabbit fever for tularemia
• Rabies for hydrophobia
• Red measles rubeola
• Remitting fever for malaria
• Retarded for developmentally or cognitively impaired {A}
• Ringworm for tinea corporis

S

• Scarlatina for scarlet fever
• Scrumpox for impetigo {A}
• Seizures for epilepsy
• Senility for dementia
• Shin bone for tibia
• Shingles for varicella zoster
• Ship fever for typhus {A}
• Shoulder blade for scapula
• Skull for cranium
• Sleeping sickness for trypanosomiasis
• Small intestine for duodenum, jeunum and ileum
• Spine for vertebral column
• St. Vitus dance for chorea/Huntington's disease {A}
• Strangury or painful urination for dysuria
• Stroke or apoplexy for cerebrovascular accident
• Swallowing tube for esophagus
• Swimmers ear for otitis externa
• Swine flu for H1N1 virus {A}

T

• Taste buds for tongue papillae
• Temple for temporal bone
• Tennis elbow for lateral epicondylitis
• The "grip" or "grippe" for influenza
• The shakes for Parkinson's disease {A}
• Thigh bone for femur
• Thigh muscles for quadriceps
• Throat for pharynx
• Thumb for pollex
• Thrush for oral candida
• Toxemia of pregnancy for eclampsia

U

• Underactive thyroid for hypothyroid
• Upper jaw for maxilla
• Uterine fibroids for leiomyoma

W

• Washboard abs for visible rectus abdominis muscles
• Went under for anesthesia {A}
• Whooping cough for pertussis
• Windpipe for trachea
• Winter fever for pneumonia {A}
• Wisdom teeth for third molars 

An Initialism is an abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately (Example: C-P-U for Central Processing Unit)
A

• ABG - Arterial Blood Gas not Atlanta Botanical Garden
• AC -  Ante Cibum (before meals) not Alternating Current
• ACL - Anterior Cruciate Ligament (knee) not Access Control List
• ADL - Activities of Daily Living not Antidefamation League 
• ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder not ADDress
• ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder not Always Direct Hardly Diplomatic
• ADR - Adverse Drug Reaction not Addressee or Alternative Dispute Resolution
• ADH - Anti-Diuretic Hormone not ADHesive
• AED - Automated External Defibrillator not Atomic Emission Detection
• AI - Aortic Insufficiency not Artificial Intelligence
• AKA - Above the Knee Amputation not Also Known As
• ALL - Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia 
• ALS - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis not Air Land Sea
• AMA - Against Medical Advice not American Medical Association
• AML - Acute Myelogenous Leukemia not All My Love
• ANA - Antinuclear Antibody  not Athens News Agency
• AP - Anteroposterior not Associated Press
• ARDS - Acute or Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome not Association of Racing Driver's Schools
• ARF - Acute Renal Failure not Almost Ready to Fly
• AS - Aortic Stenosis or Ankylosing Spondylitis not As Stated
• AV - Aortic Valve not Aviation
• AVN - Avascular Necrosis or Atrio-Ventricular Node not Aviation
• AVM - Arteriovenous Malformation not Automated Voice Messages

B

• BE - Barium Enema not Business Edition
• BID -  Bis In Die (twice daily) not Business Improvement District
• BKA - Below the Knee Amputation not Best Known As
• BM - Bowel Movement or Bone Marrow not Bermuda
• BMI - Body Mass Index not Big Malarkey Index
• BMP - Basic Metabolic Panel not BitMaP or Best Management Practices
• BP - Blood Pressure not British Petroleum
• BPH - Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy not Beers Per Hour
• BPM - Beats Per Minute not Business Process Management
• BSO - Bilateral Salpingo-oophorectomy not Boston Symphony Orchestra

C

• C&S - Culture and Sensitivity not Citizens and Southern National Bank
• CBC - Complete Blood Count not Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

• CC - Chief Complaint or Cubic Centimeter not Carbon Copy or Credit Card
• CCU - Coronary Care Unit not Clueless Computer User
• CEA - Carcinoembryonic Antigen not Consumer Electronics Association
• CHF - Congestive Heart Failure not Critical Heat Flux
• CKD - Chronic Kidney Disease not Completely Knocked Down
• CLL - Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia not Check Local Listings
• CML - Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia not Crazy Markup Language
• CNS - Central Nervous System not Client Needs System
• COPD - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease not Community Outreach Program for the Deaf
• CPAP - Continuous Positive Airway Pressure not Crime Prevention Assistance Program
• CQI - Continuous Quality Improvement not Coffee Quality Institute
• CPR - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation not Code of Professional Responsibility
• CRP - C-Reactive Protein not Can Raise Pheasants
• CSF - Cerebrospinal Fluid not Combat Special Forces
• CT - ChemoTherapy not Connecticut
• CVA - Cerebrovascular Accident ("stroke") not Christian Vegetarian Association

D

• DC - DisContinue or DisCharge not Direct Current
• DEA - Drug Enforcement Agency not Don't Expect Anything
• DJD - Degenerative Joint Disease not Digital Journalism and Design
• DKA - Diabetic KetoAcidosis not Dancers Kick A**
• DNA - Deoxyribonucleic Acid not Dogs Not Aggressive
• DNR - Do Not Resuscitate not Department of Natural Resources
• DOA - Dead On Arrival not Dead Or Alive
• DOB - Date of Birth not Do Our Best
• DOE - Dyspnea on Exertion not Dishonest Outrageous Employee
• DRE - Digital Rectal Exam not Director of Religious Education
• DTR - Deep Tendon Reflexes not Daughter or Data Terminal Ready
• DUI - Driving Under the Influence not Dialing Under the Influence
• DVT - Deep Vein Thrombosis not Design Verification Testing
• DWI - Driving While Intoxicated and Dumb When Intoxicated

E

• ECG - Electrocardiogram not Electronic Component Guide
• ECT - Electro-Convulsive Therapy not Electronics & Communications Technology
• ED - Erectile Dysfunction not Education Droid
• EEG - Electroencephalogram not Emerging Economies Group
• EGD - Esophagogastroduodenoscopy not Expected Graduation Date
• EHR - Electronic Health Record not Erie & Huron Railway
• EKG - ElectroKardioGram not Engineered Knit Garment 
• EEG - Electroencephalogram not Emerging Economies Group
• EMG - Electromyography not Eat My Grip
• EMR - Electronic Medical Record not Early Morning Riser
• ENG - ElectroNeurography not Empty Net Goal
• EMT - Emergency Medical Technician not Executive Management Team
• EPS - ElectroPhysiologic Study (of the heart) not Earnings Per Share
• ER - Emergency Room not Easy Rider
• ERCP - Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
• ESRD - End-Stage Renal Disease not Equipment Shipment Ready Date
• ETOH - Ethyl Alcohol not Extremely Trashed Or Hammered

F

• FEV - Forced Expiratory Volume or Fever not Fully Electric Vehicle
• FLK - "Funny Looking Kid"
• FSH - Follicle Stimulating Hormone not Father, Son and Holy Spirit
• FVC - Forced Vital Capacity not Fruit and Vegetable Crew

G

• GC - Gonococcal not Government of Canada
• GFR - Glomerular Filtration Rate not Grand Funk Railroad
• GGT - Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase not Gerber Garment Technology
• GI - Gastrointestinal not Get In
• GP - General Practitioner not Girl Power
• GTT - Glucose Tolerance Test not Got To Talk
• GU - GenitoUrinary not Globally Unique

H

• H&H - Hemoglobin & Hematocrit blood counts not Half & Half
• H&P - History & Physical not Hydraulics & Pneumatic
• HBP - High Blood Pressure not Hit By Pitch
• HDL - High Density Lipoprotein not Huge Deluxe Lingo
• HGH - Human Growth Hormone not Hey Girl Hey
• HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus not Hair Is Vanishing
• HLA - Human Leukocyte Antigen not Hard Luck Acres
• HMO - Health Maintenance Organization not Help Me Out
• HPV - Human Papilloma Virus not Having Purple Vomit
• HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy not Hostage Rescue Team
• HS -  Hora Somni (at bedtime) or Half Strength medication not High School
• HSA - Health Savings Account not Hidden Savings Awesome

I

• I & D - Incision & Drainage 
• IBD - Inflammatory Bowel Disease not Investors Business Daily
• IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome not Intelligent Building Systems
• ICD - Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator not I Can't Decide
• ICU - Intensive Care Unit not "I See You"
• IED - Implantable External Defibrillator not Improvised Explosive Device
• IgA - Immunoglobulin A not I Got Assets
• IgE - Immunoglobulin E not Innovative Giving Enhancement
• IgG - Immunoglobulin G not I Gotta Go
• IgM - Immunoglobulin M not I Got Mine
• IHSS - Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis not In Home Support Service
• IM - Intra- Muscular not Instant Messaging
• INR - International Normalized Ratio not Item Not Received
• IPF - Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis not Itanium Processor Family
• IRB - Institutional Review Board not I Referee Badly
• ITP - Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura not I'm Truly Persistent
• IV - Intravenous not Interactive Video
• IU - International Units not Indiana University 
• IUD - IntraUterine Device not Intensely Ugly Dude
• IVP - IntraVenous Pyelogram not Informed Voters Project

J

• JRA - Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis not Just Riding Along
• JVD - Jugular Venous Distension not Journal of Veterinary Dentistry

K

• K - Potassium (Periodic Table Symbol for potassium) not "oKay"

L

• LAD - Left Anterior Descending  not Life And Death
• LDL - Low Density Lipoprotein not Let's Discuss Live
• LGV - LymphoGranuloma Venereum not Large Goods Vehicle
• LH - Luteinizing Hormone not Laughing Hysterically
• LLQ - Left Lower Quadrant not Long Live the Queen
• LPN - Licensed Practical Nurse not License Plate Number
• LUQ - Left Upper Quadrant 
• LV - Left Ventricle not Las Vegas
• LVH - Left Ventricular Hypertrophy not Las Vegas Hilton

M

• MCL - Medial Collateral Ligament not More Cotton Loving
• MEC - Medical Emergency Clinic not Many Enemas Coming
• MEq - MilliEQuivalents not Middle East Quarterly
• MG - MilliGrams or MaGnesium not "My Girl"
• MI - Myocardial Infarction not Midnight Insanity
• ML - MiLliliter not Maximum Likelihood
• MMR - Measles Mumps Rubella not Meet Me Room
• MR - Mitral Regurgitation or Magnetic Resonance not Mister
• MRA - Magnetic Resonance Angiography not Matters Requiring Attention
• MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging not My Ridiculous Insides
• MRO - Medical Review Officer not My Route Online
• MVA - Motor Vehicle Accident not Most Valuable Author
• MVP - Mitral Valve Prolapse not Most Valuable Player

N

• NG - NasoGastric not No Good
• NPO - Nil Per Os (Nothing By Mouth) not Non Profit Organization

O

• OB - Obstetrician not Office Building
• OD - Oculus Dexter (Right Eye) not Off Duty or Outside Diameter
• OR - Operating Room not Official Regulation
• ORIF - Open Reduction and Internal Fixation not Operating Room Is Full
• OS - Oculus Sinister (Left Eye) not Operating System
• OT - Occupational Therapy not Off Topic
• OU - Oculi Uterque (both Eyes) not University of Oklahoma or "Over Used"

P

• PA - PosteroAnterior or Physician's Assistant not Potentially Annoying
• PCL - Posterior Cruciate Ligament (knee) not Printer Command Language
• PCP - Primary Care Physician (Internist, Family Practitioner, General Practitioner, Pediatrician, OB-Gyn) not Program Control Program
• PD - Progressive Disease not Police Department
• PE - Pulmonary Embolism not Physical Education 
• PET - Positron Emission Tomography Scan not  Poly-Ethylene Terephthalate
• PFT - Pulmonary Function Test not Pause For Thought
• PKU - PhenylKetonUria not Precious Kids Undercover
• PMI - Point of Maximum Impulse not Private Mortgage Insurance
• PMS - Pre-Menstrual Syndrome not Property Management System
• PND - Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnea and Post-Nasal Drip not Possibly Not Definitely
• PO - Per Os or Per Orum (by mouth) not Purchase Order or Police Officer or Post Office or PO'd
• PRN - Pro Re Nata (as needed) not Pseudo-Random Number
• PSA - Prostate Specific Antigen not Pretty Strange Anecdote
• PT - Physical Therapy not Part TimePTCA - Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty not Parent Teacher Community Association
• PTH - ParaThyroid Hormone not Pass The Hash
• PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder not Proud Tough Strong Determined
• PVC - Premature Ventricular Contraction not Plastic and Very Cheap

Q

• QAM - Quaque Ante Meridiem (each morning) not Quality Assurance Manager
• QNS - Quantity Not Sufficient not Quick aNd Simple
• QOD - Quaque Altere Die (take every other day) not Question Of the Day

R

• RA - Rheumatoid Arthritis not Resident Advisor or Research Assistant
• RCA - Right Coronary Artery not Really Crappy Appliance
• RDS - Respiratory Distress Syndrome not Radio Data System
• RK - Radial Keratotomy not Repair Kit
• RMSF - Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
• RN - Registered Nurse not Right Now
• RUQ - Right Upper Quadrant not Restricted Universal Quantifier

S

• SA - SinoAtrial not Sibling Alert
• SEC - Surgical Emergency Clinic not Southeastern Conference
• SOB - Shortness of Breath not Son of a B****
• STD - Sexually Transmitted Disease not Shut The Door

T

• T&A - Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy not "T&A"
• TB - TuBerculosis not Tampa Bay
• TAH - Total Abdominal Hysterectomy not Tahitian
• TD - Tetanus Diphtheria or Tardive Dyskinesia not Total Disaster
• TIA - Transient Ischemic Attack not This Is Awkward
• TVH - Total Vaginal Hysterectomy not Tennessee Valley Homebrewers
• TMJ - Temporo-Mandibular Joint not Totally Metal Jacketed
• TPA - Tissue Plasminogen Activator not Trade Promotion Authority
• TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone not Thrift Savings Hell
• TTP - Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura not Trusted Third Party

U

• UA - Urine Analysis not University of Alabama
• UPPP - UvuloPalatoPharyngoPlasty not Urban Planning and Public Policy
• UR - Utilization Review not Underlying Representation
• URI - Upper Respiratory Infection not University of Rhode Island
• UTI - Urinary Tract Infection not Under The Influence

V

• VD - Venereal Disease  not Valentine's Day
• VLDL - Very Low Density Lipoprotein 
• VQ - Ventilation Quotient not Virtual Quest

W

• WNL - Within Normal Limits not "We Never Looked"
• WPW - Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome not What People Want